The incident took place during a ritual.
In a tragic incident, five people drowned in a public tank near a temple in Chennai today, police said.
The incident took place around 10.30 am when devotees of the Dharmalingeshwarar temple in Nanganallur gathered at the tank for rituals as part of the panguni celebrations.
"First one person slipped, and subsequently those who tried to rescue them drowned as well. We are investigating what went wrong and if protocols were followed," said Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal.
According to the police, all five bodies have been recovered and a probe into the matter is underway.
Fire and rescue teams are continuing their search operations at the tank, Abhash Kumar, DGP, Fire and Rescue Services, told NDTV.
"Had they informed the police about the rituals, this could have been averted. It's an irreparable loss," said Tamil Nadu Minister for Rural Industries TM Anbarasan who visited the spot.
According to the police, all five who drowned belonged to three different localities in Chennai.