Four missing schoolchildren found dead in lake near Chennai

Four schoolchildren who went missing from their homes in Chennai on Saturday were found dead in Thiruneermalai lake on Sunday, leaving their families and local residents in shock.

The victims — two boys and two girls — were friends and lived on Krishna Street in Lakshmipuram, Chromepet. Police identified them as K. Devadarshan, 12, D. Yuvanesh, 10, and Pooja and Khushi, both 13.

Devadarshan was a Class 7 student at a government school, while Pooja and Khushi were studying in Class 8 at a government school. Yuvanesh was a Class 6 student at a private school.

According to police, the children were last seen playing together near their homes on Saturday afternoon. They later left the neighbourhood but did not return.

Their families initially searched for them with the help of relatives and friends and circulated their photographs through local WhatsApp groups. When there was no information about their whereabouts, the parents of the two boys lodged a missing persons complaint at Chromepet police station late at night.

Police subsequently alerted personnel at Tambaram, Egmore and Chennai Central railway stations, besides the Kelambakkam bus terminus, to check whether the children had travelled elsewhere.

The search ended tragically on Sunday after members of the public visiting Thiruneermalai Periya Eri, near Lakshmipuram, noticed four bodies floating in the lake and alerted authorities.

Police and Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel reached the spot and recovered the bodies. Family members later identified the victims.

The bodies were sent to the mortuary at Tambaram District Government Hospital for post-mortem examinations.

Police are investigating how the children reached the lake and the circumstances that led to their deaths. Investigators suspect the children may have become trapped in slush and drowned, but the sequence of events has not yet been established.

The investigation is continuing.