Four girls aged 9 and 10 years old drowned in a pond at a paddy field in Khon Buri district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Friday.
The bodies of the girls were retrieved from the pond at Buwa village in tambon Sra Wan Phraya by a team of rescue workers, said Pol Lt Withawat Kukhonthapong, a duty officer at the Khon Buri police station, who was alerted around 4pm on Friday.
The victims were identified as Pornpawee Deema, 9, Piyachat Nonnok, 9, and 10-year-old twin sisters Suparanand and Supakorn Pattananukul. All were classmates in Pathom Suksa 3 at Ban Buwa School, Thai media reported.
Their parents and relatives burst into tears when seeing the bodies of their daughters.
Relatives told police that children in the village often played in the pond during the hot season. The four girls had gone to the pond at noon on Friday. A neighbour called police later in the afternoon after spotting four pairs of sandals near the pond but no sign of the girls.
Their bodies were sent to Khon Buri Hospital for post-mortems to establish the cause of death.
The tragedy has raised alarm among local authorities and parents in this northeastern province.
More than 100 children and students on Saturday took part in a disaster prevention training exercise in Kham Thale So district.
Manot Malikhao, the mayor of Kham Thale So municipality, said the training was intended to educate young people about disaster prevention, particularly drowning.
Dr Supakit Iedtrakulpaiboon, director of Kham Thale So Hospital, said a total of 23 children aged below 15 drowned in Nakhon Ratchasima last year. Two of the victims were from Khao Thale So.
The hospital has sought cooperation from local leaders to survey public ponds that were at risk for children, he added.