India, July 13 -- Two children drowned after allegedly falling into a rainwater-filled pit while playing in an agricultural field in the outernorth Delhi's Mukhmelpur village on Sunday evening, police said. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) had received a call at 5.55 pm reporting that two children were feared to have drowned in the pit, following which two rescue teams were rushed to the spot. Police later identified the victims as Ayush (8) and Nitin (10). According to the police, a PCR call regarding the drowning of two minor children near Hiranki Road in Mukhmelpur village was received at 6.08 pm. Preliminary investigation revealed that the boys had gone to play in the fields behind a house around 4 pm when they accidentally fell into the pit excavated for drainage and storage of excess rainwater from adjoining fields. Also Read - Vinod Nagar: Constable shoots wife dead on her birthday, flees "With the help of firefighters and locals, the children were pulled out of the pit and admitted to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela, where doctors declared them brought dead," the officer said. The bodies were then sent to the mortuary at Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri for post-mortem. A case was registered at Alipur Police Station. Police said prima facie negligence is suspected on the part of the person responsible for maintaining or securing the water-filled pit. They further said that an investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the tragedy and identify those responsible. Also Read - Four minors feared drowned in Yamuna As news of the deaths spread through the village, anguished family members and residents gathered near the field, many breaking down in tears. Residents said children from the locality often visited the area to play and occasionally entered the water-filled pit without realising its depth. Locals said one boy jumped into the rainwater-filled pit to save his friend before both drowned. Residents alleged there was no fencing or warning signs around the deep pit and demanded strict legal action against those responsible for leaving the hazardous site unsecured.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.