Two toddler girls who were found in a swimming pool at a home in Texas have died, according to police.
On Wednesday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez reported that deputies had responded to a residence at the 21000 block of Creek Edge Ct in Katy, in reference to the potential drowning of two female toddlers thought to be aged two and three.
Officers were first alerted to the situation when a woman called 911, "screaming" that two young children had drowned in a pool, according to ABC7.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said calls about the situation began coming in at around 11:30 a.m. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found paramedics performing life-saving measures on the two young girls. Both were then taken to hospital via LifeFlight.
Despite these lifesaving efforts, Gonzalez confirmed that both children were pronounced dead at the hospital. "This is a devastating loss for the family and our community," Gonzalez wrote in a statement posted to X. "Please keep everyone involved -- including the loved ones and first responders -- in your thoughts and prayers."
Gonzalez added that detectives are continuing to investigate.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris County Sheriff's Office for comment.
According to reports citing the Harris County Sheriff's Office as a source, the two young girls lived at home with their mom and grandparents.
Preliminary information indicates that the grandmother returned from shopping for groceries to find the two young girls in the pool. She reportedly began screaming, alerting the rest of the family to the situation in the process.
Drowning is a leading cause of death for children. According to the CDC, more children ages one to four die from drowning than any other cause of death.
For children aged five to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.
There are over 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths on average in the U.S. every year. To put that figure into some perspective, that amounts to an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.
There are also somewhere in the region of 8,000 nonfatal drownings in the U.S. annually. That equates to 22 non-fatal drownings a day. The outcome of these incidents can vary from no serious injury at all to brain damage or permanent disability.
Drowning incidents are a cause for concern in Texas.
The CDC estimates the annual age-adjusted drowning death rate in Texas during 2018-2021 was 1.44 deaths per 100,000 people. The national rate is 1.33 deaths per 100,000.