India, Sept. 9 -- Two boys, aged nine and 13, drowned while swimming in the Haiderpur canal in northwest Delhi on Sunday evening, police said. Initial inquiry suggests they were swept away by the strong current triggered by recent rains, investigators said.

The victims, identified as Aniket Kumar (9) and Krishan Kumar (13), were neighbours.

Police said the children had gone to the canal around 4pm on Sunday when their fathers, both daily-wage labourers, were away at work. "Locals saw the boys enter the canal to swim. Soon after, they struggled against the strong current and disappeared underwater. Their families returned in the evening and, unable to find them, informed the police between 9pm and 10pm," a senior officer said.

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