11 students drowned in China

JINAN/HARBIN - A total of 11 students were drowned in two separate cases on Saturday in two provinces, local authorities said.

Seven middle school students were drowned at about 2:00 pm when swimming in the Huihe River in Laiwu city of East China's Shandong province. Their bodies were all recovered by 7:50 pm, a Laiwu municipal government official said.

In another case in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, four students were drowned in the Songhua River on Saturday morning, according to the municipal emergency office.

One female student slid to the river when washing her hands at Gaojia village in Harbin Saturday morning. Five of her classmates were also submerged in the river when trying to rescue her. Two were saved by the villagers and four died, according to the office.

Four fishing boats are working at the scene to retrieve the bodies.