Three schoolgirls drowned in a river in Fukuoka Prefecture on Friday while swimming on the first day of their summer vacation, local authorities said.
The local sixth graders had been playing at the Inunaki River in Miyawaka along with five other children.
Another girl, who along with those who drowned had been stuck in a deep part of the river, was pulled out by friends, according to the principal of their school.
There were no adults nearby. The principal said at a news conference that the school had requested students not to go to the river by themselves.
At approximately 1 p.m., police received a call reporting that the girls had not surfaced from the river. Thirty minutes later, rescue workers found all three girls submerged in the water and promptly transported them to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead. The incident occurred at a point where the Inunaki River meets the Yamaguchi River, according to the police and the local fire department.
The river, which is around 10 meters wide and around 1.3 meters deep on average, was at a normal water level, according to the local office of the land ministry.