Odisha: 12-year-old girl drowns in pond during Kartik Purnima ritual

Malkangiri: A 12-year-old girl drowned in a pond in Odisha's Malkangiri district on Friday during rituals on Kartika Purnima, police said.

The incident happened in Champanagar near Malkangiri town, they said.

Sabitri Hantal drowned during the 'Boita Bandana' ritual in which miniature boats made of banana stem and paper are floated in the waterbody, they added.

The girl slipped into the deep water when she was collecting coins from the miniature boats.

Devotees put flowers, coins, betel leaves, betel nuts and lighted lamps on the miniature boats and float them, as per the rituals.

Though the girl was immediately rescued and taken to a nearby hospital, doctors declared her dead.