Eight school children die in horrific mass drowning
The bodies of eight school children have been retrieved from a river after a horrific mass drowning incident, which happened when the youngsters rushed to save their friend.
One of the children fell into the Fuling River in the Tongnan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and the others jumped into the river in a bid to save their friend, China Global Television Network (CGTN)
The children’s ages have not been disclosed, however they are being described as “elementary-school aged”.
CGTN reported the children had gone to play at the beach on Sunday, along the river and their bodies were retrieved on Monday.
According to the South China Morning Post, the local government sent a rescue team.
The children came from Mixin, a town near Sichuan province on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis of Chongqing.
No further details were immediately available.
#LATEST The bodies of eight primary school students who drowned Sunday afternoon in southwest #China's Chongqing Municipality were recovered as of 7:10 a.m. local time Monday. pic.twitter.com/raQVIf2wY4
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 22, 2020
Heavy rain had been forecast for the area, but it wasn't clear if the weather was a factor.
According to CGTN, every year in China 57,000 children drown, about 56 per cent of those drownings involving a child aged under 14.
The network also said drowning is the number one cause of “abnormal” death of children in China.
with Associated Press
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