CHENNAI: Two children, aged 7 and 6- siblings drowned in a pit filled with rainwater at a construction site in Uthukottai, Tiruvallur district on Tuesday night.
The deceased children were identified as K Duraivel and his younger sister, Sneha.
Police said that a rice mill is to be constructed at the site. The land owner had employed a family from the Irular community from a nearby village for construction work. The couple Kuppan and Anitha engaged in construction work and doubled up as the security for the land. They stayed at the construction site with their two children. The contractor had also hired guest workers for construction, which was halted on Tuesday due to continuous rains.
On Tuesday, Kuppan left the site and Anitha was inside their tenement and the kids were playing outside when the incident happened. After a while, Anitha searched for the kids and since they were nowhere to be found, she alerted her husband. After a while, Kuppan noticed the kids lying unconscious in a water filled pit. The kids were moved to a primary health centre nearby where they were declared dead on arrival.
Pennalurpet police have registered a case and moved the bodies to Thiruvallur government hospital for post mortem. Police are investigating the legality of the property.