New York – In a heartbreaking incident in New York, two young sisters tragically drowned in a pond behind their home.

The community and the family are devastated by the loss of four-year-old R. Gali and two-year-old S. Gali, whose lives were cut short in an accident that occurred over the weekend.

The incident unfolded in a quiet neighborhood. The local police and emergency services were alerted on Saturday when the girls were found unresponsive in a pond located just steps from their residence.

A maintenance worker first discovered the siblings and immediately raised the alarm. According to reports, the girls’ mother had inadvertently fallen asleep after putting her daughters down for a nap. While the mother was asleep, the young children wandered off unnoticed. By the time the mother woke up, the children were nowhere to be found. M. Baldi, a neighbor, recounted hearing the mother frantically searching for her daughters. “The mother was frantic looking for them, and the whole neighborhood came out. We were all looking for them,” Baldi said.

Baldi further described the community’s efforts to locate the girls, highlighting the shock and disbelief that such an incident could happen despite apparent safety measures like gated areas around the pond. However, not all sections of the pond are fenced, particularly those that maintain a more natural habitat, which could have provided the children access to the water. Another neighbor attempted life-saving measures on the two-year-old girl but unfortunately could not revive her. “I was trying to tell people what to do, to walk them through, but everybody was so frightened and scared so I started to do CPR a little bit and I checked the little girl’s pulse and I didn’t feel any,” the neighbor said. Despite the neighbor’s efforts and the rapid response of emergency medical services, both children were pronounced dead at the hospital.

The community has been left reeling by the tragedy, with many expressing their grief and extending their support to the bereaved family. The local church, where the family are members, has set up a fundraiser to assist them during this incredibly difficult time. The pond where the incident occurred is partially fenced and clearly marked with signs prohibiting swimming or diving, indicating that the area is not safe for unsupervised activities, especially for children.

The tragedy is compounded by the fact that the children’s father, has been unable to return home due to visa complications, leaving the family even more isolated in their grief. Authorities have not yet determined how long the girls were in the water before being discovered, nor how they managed to access the pond. Investigations are ongoing, with police and community leaders focused on understanding the sequence of events to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring. It remains unclear whether authorities will press charges against the mother.