Police in northern Phú Thọ Province examine bodies of four victims who were drown on Đà River on Tuesday afternoon. — VNA/VNS Photo Tạ Toàn

PHÚ THỌ — Three young men and a 17-year-old drowned on Tuesday afternoon in the Đà River in Xuân Thuỷ Commune, Thanh Thuỷ District, the northern province of Phú Thọ.

Three of the victims - Bùi Minh Hoà and Hoàng Thanh Quảng from Hà Nội and Lê Quang Trung from central Thanh Hoá Province, all aged 21 years old - were students of Đại Nam University visiting the hometown of a friend for a birthday party while the other Trần Quang Đức, 17 years old, was a resident of the commune.

The students reportedly swam in the river and were swept away by an eddy. Đức did not go with the students but died when trying to rescue them after hearing their calls for help. Their bodies were found late the same evening.

Local authorities have offered support to the victims’ families to transfer the bodies and carry out their funerals.

The 910 km-long Đà River runs through the northwestern provinces of Lai Châu, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Hoà Bình and Phú Thọ before joining with the Red River in Phú Thọ. — VNS