Eighteen high school students survived being thrown into chilly waters when their single-scull boats capsized in sudden strong winds Wednesday on a river in Chiba Prefecture, police said.
The 18 swam to the bank on their own or were rescued by others. Five girls and one boy were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, they said.
At the time of the accident, 34 students, including the 18, were sculling on the Kurobe River in the northeastern part of the prefecture, the police said.