Rae Bareli, Jul 9 (IANS): As many as five children, aged between 8 and 12 years, drowned while playing in a swollen pond near their house in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, said police officials.

Rae Bareli Superintendent of Police (SP), Alok Priyadarshi, said that all the victims -- including four girls and a boy -- would often play in the pond. However, on Saturday, they slipped into deep water in the pond, which was overflowing due to rain spells.

The SP said that their identities have been ascertained as Vaishali, 12, Sonam, 10, Rupali, 9, Ritu, 8, and Amit, 8, -- all residents of Mangta Dera village under Gadaganj police station of Dalmau circle.

He said that he visited the spot to examine the situation and sent the bodies for postmortem examination.

“I have asked the officials concerned to ensure that there is no delay in legal proceedings and in handing over the bodies to their family members. Besides, the district administration officials have been directed to provide all possible government help to the families who have lost their kids in this tragic incident,” he said.

The SP said although there is no law-and-order trouble in the village, still police force has been deployed there as a precautionary measure till the last rites of the bodies are done.