PRAYAGRAJ: Four children drowned after falling into a water-filled pit in Bedouli village here, police said on Wednesday.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Meja) SP Upadhyay said police received information around 7 pm on Tuesday that the four children, aged between three and five years, were missing.
The children, who belonged to a tribe, were playing outside their homes when they went missing.
A search operation was launched but the children could not be located.
The search resumed on Wednesday morning, and the bodies of the children were recovered from a water-filled pit in a nearby field where soil had been excavated earlier, the officer said.
Prima facie, the cause of death appears to be drowning.
Bodies have been sent to SRN Hospital for postmortem, and further legal proceedings will be initiated based on the report, he added.
The deceased have been identified as Vaishnavi (3), Hunar (5), Kanha (5) and Khesari (5), he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives.
In a statement, the chief minister extended condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure immediate disbursement of financial assistance to them.