Puri: Two youths drowned while taking a bath in Narendra Pokhari, a holy tank situated near the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's pilgrim town Puri, today. 

The two deceased persons have been identified as Raj Kishore Satpathy (23) of Kukudakhandi in Ganjam district and Nalinikanta Tripathy (27) of Ichhapuram area in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.  

The fire services personnel recovered the bodies of two from the water following a search operation. 

According to reports, the two youths drowned while bathing in the holy pond today. Seeing them drowning, the locals informed the fire services department which immediately sent its officials to the spot for rescue. The fire brigade personnel fished the two out from the water and rushed them to Puri District Hospital where they were declared dead.