Tragedy struck in Valencia on Sunday after two young brothers drowned in an abandoned pool at an illegal quarry in their community.
According to reports, Junior Soogrim, 13 and sibling Jason, seven, died at the scene after going under in the pool while swimming with other boys shortly after 4 pm.
According to police reports, the boys had their Sunday lunch with family members and decided to accompany their father, 30-year-old Martinez Soogrim, to his garden.
However, police said the boys around 4 pm the boys left their father's presence without informing him and went a quarter of a mile away to a pond which was formed due to illegal quarrying. There they joined other boys bathing in the pond but got into difficulties and disappeared under water. The other boys raised an alarm for help.
Residents from the area and the boys’ father rushed to the pond to render assistance. But when the boys were pulled out of the water they were lifeless and could not be resuscitated.
A report was made to the Valencia Police Post and Insp Jugmohan, acting Cpl Baksh and officers from the CID, CSI and ERP went to the scene.
DMO Belgrave pronounced the boys dead at the scene and their bodies were taken to the Sangre Grande mortuary for autopsies today.
Relatives and the boys' friends were reportedly unconsolable at the scene.
Jason attended Valencia High while his brother was a Valencia RC School pupil.
This was the second time in under a week and third time overall that young boys drowned while undertaking activity in breach of the COVID-19 stay-at-home regulations.
Last Tuesday, Marabella North Secondary School student Iverson Thomas, 16, drowned while bathing at the Flower Pot beach in Pointe-a-Pierre. His body was found three days later floating in the Gulf of Paria off Labidco, La Brea. And in April Joshua Alexander drowned in the Marlins Swimming Pool at Westmoorings, after he and at three other people jumped the wall and went for a swim.
Cpl Baksh is investigating.