A two-and-a-half-year-old boy and his three-and-a-half-year-old sister died of drowning after they fell into a cemented water tank built for cattle to drink water. The incident took place in a residential block in South Delhi's Fatehpur Beri on Saturday afternoon. Since the incident took place in neighbour's house, police have registered a case and are looking into the matter.
Police said that the deceased have been identified as Prateek and his elder sister Srishti.
A senior police officer said, as told by locals, it was on Saturday afternoon when the two kids were spotted inside the open water tank, by their neighbour, who raised alarm and pulled the children out. They were rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared them dead. Their families were also informed and the police was informed after which their bodies were sent for post mortem examination.
“As told by family members, the two kids had visited their aunt's house in the neighbouring area on Saturday. They were fed by their aunt and were left out in the open area of the house to play. It was only when the aunt and other members of the family went inside for to work, the kids sneaked into the neighbour's house. While playing, the kids went near the water tank and while attempting to climb on it, they fell into the tank and drowned,” said the senior police officer.
Police said that the tank had two feet deep water in it. “A case has been registered for causing death due to negligence against the unknown and efforts to ascertain the sequence of the incident are being made. It is also being probed whether the kids by mistake fell into the water or were drowned,” the officer said.
Last months, two minors aged 12 and 14 drowned in Agra Canal near Lohia Pul in Southeast Delhi's Aali village area while trying to get a ball which had fallen in the water. Body of the two children could be pulled out following hour long rescue and search operations. Just a week before this, in a freak accident, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy died after accidentally falling into a bucket full of water while playing at his residence in East Delhi's Ashok Nagar area. The toddler's mother was sleeping at the time of incident.