Three schoolboys of Cooch Behar district — witnessing an unusually hot monsoon season with day temperatures nearing 40°C — drowned after diving into a pond to beat the heat on Sunday afternoon.

The incident took place in Fakirer Kuthi village under Mathabhanga-I of Cooch Behar district.

The deceased are Bibek Barman, 10, Rohit Barman, 10, and Deb Das, 09. Bibek and Rohit studied in Class VI and Deb in Class V.

A fourth boy who was with them when they plunged into the pond ran back to the village and told elders about his friends, sources said.

Villages rushed to the pond, brought out the three boys and took them to the nearby Mathabhanga Hospital where all the three were declared dead. The bodies were brought to Cooch Behar MJN Hospital for post-mortem.

Bikram Dutta, a resident of the village, said: “There was scorching heat in the afternoon. So four boys went to bathe in a pond around 1.30pm. One returned and three did not. Though villagers went to the pond immediately to save the boys, it was too late.”

The bereaved families are in shock and in no position to speak, said neighbours.

“The village has fallen completely silent as no one is ready to accept the deaths,” said Dutta.