Two minor children of a family -- both brother and sister -- drowned to death near a school at Purba Chandmari area in West Tripura, police officials said on Sunday.

A police official said that Prasenjit Debnath (11) and his younger sister Priyanka Debnath (7) had gone out to play near their home in the Purba Chandmari area on Saturday afternoon, but did not return home.

Krishna Debnath, the father of the kids, told the police that after a thorough search, he did not locate the children. The anxious parents of the children looked for them in nearby areas and also informed the police.

There was, however, no trace of the missing children until Sunday morning.

“On Sunday afternoon, two workers engaged in the construction of a building near the school saw two dead bodies of the children in a shallow pit dug for sinking a water pump,” the police official said.

Then the police, accompanied by Fire and Emergency Service personnel, came to the spot after being informed and recovered the bodies. The parents identified the bodies of Prosenjit and Priyanka.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha expressed deep shock over the tragic incident.

In a post on the X, the Chief Minister said: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Krishna Debnath's son Prosenjit Debnath (11) and daughter Priyanka Debnath (7) in an unexpected incident in Chandmari area of East Agartala. May Almighty God grant the bereaved family the strength to bear the pain of loss. We will do our best to stand by the family in this difficult time.”

Local people alleged that due to the negligence and inefficiencies of the construction company and the contractors, the ditch was created, and a huge waterlogged hole in the ground, which caused the drowning of the minor children.