One student then slipped and fell into the water, pulling four others along, said Khanh. The students were then swept away by strong currents, he said.

Others shouted for help, but it was too late and the water too deep and too strong, the official added.

District authorities commenced a rescue mission but they have yet to find the students. They are presumed dead.

A similar accident took place in Yen Bai’s Van Tien Commune last month, killing three eleventh-graders.

Source: VNA