Cuttack: In a tragic incident, two students drowned while taking bath in Mahanadi river near Dhabaleswar ghat in Odisha's Cuttack district today.

The deceased have been identified as Subhankar Panda, a plus two student of Christ College, and Ritesh Pradhan, a class-X student of Ravenshaw Collegiate, both residents of CDA sector-7.

According to reports, both went missing in the water body after they slipped into deep waters while bathing.

A friend of the duo who was standing away from the ghat told locals about the incident following which they informed police and fire department. The bodies were later fished out by fire personnel.

"My son Subhankar left home at 7.30 for college. We have no idea how he reached at the river. On being informed by police, we rushed to the spot," said Laxminarayan Panda, father of Subhankar Panda.