Hanoi - Three schoolgirls drowned in a river in southern Vietnam as they were wading to relieve the summer heat, a policeman said Thursday. Nguyen Ngoc Linh, 14, Khong Van Anh, 13 and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha 11 drowned after straying into a deep area of the Vam Thuat River in Ho Chi Minh City.
Seven boys of their ages, who went swimming with the girls, could not save them.
"The water was deep and the current was strong," said Dang Van Binh, a local policeman. "Children in the area often go swimming in the river when it's hot, but small girls don't get near that deep area."
Dozens of Vietnamese children drown every year, especially in the rainy and storm season between May and October.
