Eleven students drown during river cleaning campaign in Indonesia

 
Eleven school children between the ages of 13 and 15 drowned during a river clean-up operation on the Indonesian island of Java.

According to the International News Agency, 150 students of the Islamic High School on the Indonesian island of Java went on a river cleaning campaign. The students ranged in age from 13 to 15.

During the clean-up, 21 students fell into the river from the boat, out of which 10 children were rescued alive, but 11 children lost their lives due to excessive flooding in the lungs.

Rescuers say the drowning children were holding each other's hands firmly in the boat, and one child fell and the other fell into the river one by one.

On the other hand, eyewitnesses said that the children were swept away by the rapid water while trying to cross the river and they were not wearing safety jackets.

The administration says there was neither flooding nor rain in the river, so it is unfortunate for children to drown in the calm river. An inquiry committee was formed to investigate the incident.

A 4.3-magnitude earthquake has shaken the Indonesian island of Bali today, killing at least three people and injuring 15 others.