A Queensland man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a three-year-old girl in the state’s north.

Police say emergency services were called to an address in the Townsville suburb of Kelso after two small children were reported missing around 6.40pm on Saturday.

A two-year-old was found a short time later wandering in a nearby street.

However, the second pre-schooler wasn’t located until more than an hour-and-a-half later when she was discovered in a storm water drain.

She was rushed to Townsville University Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

Detectives from the Townsville Child Protection Unit have charged a 27-year-old Kelso man, who they say was known to the children, with one count each of manslaughter, endangering children by exposure and driving under the influence of a drug.

He has been refused bail by police to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday.

-AAP