Three middle school students drowned Sunday afternoon when bathing in a river in the central province of Phu Yen, while three family members had been torched to death in a house fire earlier today in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

People give first aid to three victims of a drowning which happened Sunday afternoon in the central province of Phu Yen. The three, who were all middle school students, drowned when bathing in a local river., Photo: Tuoi Tre

Five students at Vo Thi Sau Middle and High School were taking a bath in the Binh Ba River in Tuy An District when three of whom were suddenly drowned by strong currents.

Local residents rushed to the river to save the three following shouts for help by the other two, but they failed to make it.

The three victims have been identified as Tran Huy Hoang, a 7th-grader, Nguyen Cong Hau, Hoang’s peer, and Tran Van Hung, an 8th-grader, all hailing from the same commune.

The residents said the five’s bathing site is very dangerous as it is truly deep with swift currents flowing underwater.

There have been many drownings recorded around the area, they added.

In the other tragic accident, three siblings, 23-year-old Le Thi Kim Chi, 21-year-old Le Huu Nhan, and 20-year-old Le Thi Ai Nguyen were killed in the fire when they were sleeping on the second floor of their 30-year-old wooden house in Pleiku City – Gia Lai's provincial capital.

The fire occurred around 1:00 am and quickly destroyed the house, despite local people’s efforts to contain it.

The three failed to get out of the flames while their mother, who was sleeping downstairs then, luckily managed to escape.

It is surprising that local firefighters only arrived at the scene 30 minutes later when the house had become a sheer charcoal frame.

Short circuit is suspected to trigger the fire, local authorities say, adding they will work out the cause very soon.

Firefighters direct water into the house ...

... when it has become a sheer charcoal frame.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Source: Tuoi Tre