Siliguri, Aug. 12: Two teenagers drowned in a river in full spate when the country- made boat they were using to cross it capsized midway.

Sufali Burman (14) and Rina Singh (18) were residents of Baropothujote, 30km from here, and they fell into the Lochka, a tributary of the Mahananda, today.

The girls were accompanied by Punita Singh and Alaka Adhikary of the same village. All four were on their way to plant paddy saplings on the other side of the river, which flows through the Phansidewa block.

The water level of the river had risen considerably after 48 hours of continuous rain lashed the subdivision. In summer, the water level is waist-high.

According to police, Rina did not know how to swim. Punita and Alaka somehow managed to reach the riverbank, but Sufali could not.

The police said at the time of the accident there was nobody around to come to the rescue of the girls.

Some of the villagers who were busy with their cattle on the banks or fishing had not noticed anything unusual till the two women who had swam across screamed for help. By the time the girls were dragged out of the water, they were dead.

The Phansidewa police reached the spot almost an hour after the incident. The bodies will be sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital tomorrow for post-mortem.