Three-year-old twin brothers die after falling into washing machine

Three year-old twin brothers have tragically died after falling into a washing machine at their home in Delhi, India.

The incident was reported to emergency services at around 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon. The Times Of India reports that twin brothers Laksh and Neeshu were found head-down in the tumbler of a top-loading washing machine at their family home. The boys' mother, Rakhi, was reported to have left the two children playing near the bathroom in their first-floor apartment while she went to a nearby shop. When the twins' mum returned after a number of minutes, she was unable to locate Laksh and Neeshu. The boys' father, Ravinder, left work in order to join the search for his children after receiving a phone call from his wife notifying him of the situation. A neighbour, Jaya Sharma, told the Times Of India that the couple made the horrific discovery a short time later,

"The couple returned home around 1.10pm and checked the washing machine. To their horror, they found the children lying head down in the water."

The twin brothers were rushed to hospital where they were sadly declared dead by doctors. Indian police say that an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the boys' deaths. Initial evidence suggests that the young boys may have climbed on to a bucket beside the washing machine in order to look into the drum, however it remains a mystery as to how both of the siblings found their way into the machine. A police officer told the newspaper that the investigation into the tragedy is ongoing,

"It is possible that the children tried to peep in out of inquisitiveness but we are probing how they managed to climb to a height from which they could fall into the tumbler."