CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, two brothers- aged five and three years old drowned in a temple pond in Thiruverkadu on Saturday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo were playing with a pet pup on the stairs of the temple pond when they slipped and fell into the water.

The deceased children were identified as Riyaz (5) and Rizvan (3). They lived with their parents - Tamilarsu alias Thamim Ansari (36), a painter, and Vasanthi (26). The family had recently moved to a rented hut at Ponniyamman Nagar in Thiruverkadu.

On Saturday afternoon, their parents were away at work when the kids went to the temple near their house. The puppy went close to the water and and the children ran behind the pup and they slipped and fell into the pond.

A youth who witnessed the boys struggling in the water jumped into the water and rescued them. The children were rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.The Thiruverkadu police have registered a case and moved the bodies to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.