Local authorities and residents gather at the pond where four children drowned on Wednesday afternoon. — Photo baokhanhhoa.vn

KHÁNH HÒA — Four children aged 5-7 in Khánh Hòa Province drowned on Wednesday in a pond, a local newspaper reported.

The incident occurred in early afternoon after a group of five children from Khánh Hiệp Commune, Khánh Vĩnh District went for a swim in a pond in Ba Cẳng Village, said Võ Văn Thế, chairman of Khánh Hiệp Commune.

The children reportedly strayed into a deep section of water, which one was able to escape to swim to shore and call for help.

After an hour of searching, the boys were found and taken to a local medical facility where were pronounced dead.

The victims were all relatives and of the Êđê ethnicity.

Earlier on May 20, four secondary school students also drowned while swimming in a river in Ninh Hòa Township, Khánh Hòa Province.

The four students were also identified as relatives, according to Đời Sống & Pháp Luật (Life and Law) newspaper. — VNS