UBON RATCHATHANI — 22 April 2026, Two three-year-old boys drowned in a village pond after going to play in the water during hot weather, while a third child survived and ran to seek help, police said.
Officers were alerted late Tuesday morning to the incident at a pond under a “Khok Nong Na” project in Ban Hai Yong, Tan Sum district.
Villagers had already retrieved the bodies of the two boys, identified as Kulapichet Uncharoen and Surasit Phangsi, both aged three, before authorities arrived.
Police said the two victims and another three-year-old boy had gone to the pond, about 500 metres from their homes, to play. The victims could not swim and the water was more than 3 metres deep.
The third child fled to alert nearby residents, but help arrived too late.
A relative said the children had previously visited the pond but were not expected to go there on their own.
Police said there were initial concerns about possible foul play, but no signs of assault were found. Investigators believe the children entered the water to cool off amid the heat.
Authorities urged parents to closely supervise young children during the school holidays to prevent similar tragedies.