HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A 3-year-old boy is dead and a 1-year-old boy is in the hospital after they fell into a pond in northeast Harris County, according to officials.

The Harris County Emergency Corps said the two boys were found in the man-made pond Thursday in the 11800 block of Garret Road.

Investigators said the boys’ mother was inside the home giving her 5-year-old child a bath when the children wandered off.

“The other two children exited the house through the front door,” said Lt. Joe Ambriz with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “The two children were discovered by the mother, who took them out of the water and attempted to perform CPR.”

Paramedics also performed CPR while the boys were rushed to East Houston Regional Medical Center. Sadly, the 3-year-old didn’t make it, his 1-year-old brother was flown to the medical center in critical condition.

Investigators said the family lives on the property which is an industrial site. There was a tank that leaked diesel fuel onto the ground and in an attempt to clean it up, the father had started to dig a hole to remove the contaminated soil. When it rained the hole would fill up.

“The father had been draining water out of the hole on a regular basis,” said Ralph Gonzales with the Sheriff’s Office. “It had been there three to four months but after this heavy rain we had recently, he did not drain it.”

“It’s a very tragic situation we have here," said Ambriz. “It’s still an active investigation.”

Family members rushed over to the home Thursday afternoon after they heard about the accident, they got a frantic phone call from the boys’ father.

“All I know is the kids drowned in the pond or river or something over there behind the house,” said Erasmo Luna, the boys’ uncle. “I don’t know nothing else.”