Kozhikode (Kerala) | Three members of a family, including a girl, drowned in a river at Nadapuram in this district on Saturday, police said.

The tragic incident occurred when the family had gone to Puliyavu river near Nadapuram, to wash their clothes.

The deceased were identified as Ansar (43), his wife Suhada (39), and Isa Mariyam (8), daughter of Ansar's brother--all residents of Puliyavu here.

According to preliminary information, the child accidentally slipped into deep waters and Ansar and his wife attempted to rescue her.

But all three were also pulled in by the current and drowned.

The couple's children alerted the locals, who initiated rescue efforts.

Though they were pulled out of the water, their lives could not be saved, police said.

The bodies were shifted to the nearby state-run hospital and further procedures are underway, they added.