Lucknow: Two children drowned while bathing in a village pond in Basti district on Monday evening after straying into deep water, police said.The incident took place around 5.30 pm in Niduri village under Dubaulia police station limits.The victims were identified as Mohammad Ahmad (11), son of Yusuf, and Nafees alias Golu (12), son of Mukhtar, both residents of Niduri.Police and locals said the boys had gone to the pond with a group of friends to bathe. While in the water, they inadvertently moved into a deeper section and began to drown.Their friends shouted for help, alerting villagers and family members who rushed to the spot and launched a search. The boys were pulled out and taken to Community Health Centre in Harraiya, where doctors declared them brought dead. Dubaulia police reached the site, completed inquest formalities, and sent the bodies for post-mortem. Further legal procedures are under way.