The deceased, identified by police as V Dharanish, a Class 7 student from Nambiyampalayam near Avinashi and his neighbour, P Hariharan, a Class 2 student, had gone out to play when their parents were away to work.

As they didn’t return home till late in the evening, the family members launched a futile search. Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, some villagers noticed the two boys' footwear floating in a pond and informed the police.

A team from Avinashi police station and fire and rescue service personnel rushed to the spot and retrieved their bodies after an hour-long search.

Preliminary inquiries suggest that the boys may have accidentally slipped into the pond and drowned. A case has been registered, and further investigation is under way.