A 30-year-old man in India allegedly killed his two children by throwing them into a well, and then attempted to end his own life after a fight with his wife.

The incident took place Saturday night in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The father, identified as Murugesan, allegedly pushed his two kids – 5-year-old daughter Rudrakshana and 3-year-old son Sri Kirshna – into a well after an argument with his 26-year-old wife, The Hindu reported.

He later jumped into the well to kill himself. While the two children died, Murugesan survived due to depleted water level.

On Sunday, an owner of the agricultural well noticed the bodies of the children, and alerted the police. Murugesen, who was found alive inside the well holding on to a rope, had suffered severe injuries, The Times of India reported.

Fire and rescue services along with the police retrieved the children’s bodies. They also safely removed the accused from the well, and rushed him to a government hospital for treatment.

When the police questioned him, he admitted to throwing the two children into the water before jumping in.

The police said on the day of the incident, Murugesan had a heated argument with his wife following which he left the house with the children. He later decided to kill his children and then end his own life.

The reason behind the dispute between the husband and the wife was not immediately clear.

Last month, in the western state of Rajasthan, a man allegedly killed his four minor daughters before trying to end his own life after his in-laws turned down his proposal to marry his sister-in-law. The accused dumped his minor daughters – 18-month-old Vasundhara, 3-year-old Lakshmi, 5-year-old Noji and 8-year-old Jeeyo – in a water tank after they lost consciousness due to the poison the father fed them. The mother of the four children had died due to COVID-19 complications in May. Following her death, the accused was depressed and worried about bringing up his daughters on his own. He got angry when his proposal of marrying his sister-in-law was rejected by the family.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.

Crime scene police line | Representational Image
Crime scene police line | Representational Image GETTY IMAGES / SCOTT OLSON