GORAKHPUR, May 8 -- Two minor brothers drowned in a water-filled brick kiln pit in Maharajganj district late Wednesday night, hours after they went missing while playing near their home. Police recovered the bodies following an intensive search operation. The victims were identified as Raj, 6, and Ayush, 4, residents of Cheri Tola locality under Kotwali police station limits. They had gone out to play near their house on Wednesday afternoon. Kotwali SHO Nirbhay Kumar Singh said the children's bodies were recovered from the water-filled pit during the search operation, around 11 pm. "Prima facie, it appears that they accidentally slipped into the pit," the SHO said. District magistrate Gaurav Sagarwal has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident., to be headed by additional district magistrate Vijay Yadav. The administration also announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs.4 lakh for the family of each victim, subject to the revenue department's report. htc...