Three days after a seven-year-old boy drowned when he fell into a deep pit dug for the Ganga Expressway road project work, two more children - aged 10 and 11 - died under similar circumstances in UP's Budaun district on Saturday.

Budaun district magistrate Manoj Kumar told TOI: "I've directed all sub divisional magistrates to identify such pits and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of locals".

The incident took place at Ughaiti village where a large pit was purportedly dug by a construction firm working under the expressway project.

Two friends - Furqan Ali (10) and Yameen Ali (11) - were going to their farms when Furqan slipped and fell into the pit.

Seeing his friend struggling in the water, Yameen dived in to save him.

Furqan's father said, "People from nearby fields rushed to save the children but they had drowned by then."