Two boys drowned while swimming in the Tengra River at ward 3 of Itahari Sub-metropolitan City, Sunsari, on Sunday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as an eight-year-old boy from ward 3 and an 11-year-old boy from Sankhuwasabha, who was currently living in ward 2, police said.

Both boys were rescued in critical condition and taken to Vedanta Hospital in Itahari.

As their condition worsened, they were referred to the Birat Teaching Hospital in Biratnagar, where doctors declared them dead.

Area Police Office, Itahari, said an investigation into the incident is underway.