Kochi: Two children drowned during a picnic at Bangaram Island in Lakshadweep on Sunday. The deceased, Mohammed Favad Khan and Ahmed Sayan Sayeed, were students of Government Senior Basic School, Agatti.

The tragedy occurred at 10 am when the children, aged six and seven, ventured into the deeper part of the sea from a sandbank while unattended by their parents. ''A group of 300 people, including children and parents, arrived from Agatti to Bangaram in six boats for a trip. One child’s body was recovered immediately, while the other was found nearly 1 km away by a resort's diving team,'' Abdul Salaam, a resident here, told Onmanorama.

The children were rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Speciality Hospital, but their lives could not be saved. The funeral will take place at 8 pm on Sunday.

Drowning incidents are rare in Lakshadweep, as per statistics on such deaths in India. ''This is an unfortunate and unprecedented incident on our island. We are still in shock,'' Musthafa Pallipura, a member of the administrative committee of the Agatti district panchayat, said while speaking to Onmanorama.

Between 2015-2022, Lakshwadeep recorded fewer than ten deaths due to drowning, according to the 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' report published by the National Crime Records Bureau.