Two teenage boys drowned in the Mekong River in Prey Veng province on Tuesday after rescuing two of their classmates who had strayed into deep water, a local police official said Wednesday.
Cheam Buntha, police chief in Peam Chor district, said the boys, Yang Mony and Chim Sophearom, both 17, had been playing in the river with a group of friends on Tuesday afternoon.
“At about 3 p.m. yesterday, the two boys….came to play in the water with friends. Altogether, there were about 20 people,” he said.
While sitting on the bank about an hour later, the police chief said, the boys noticed two girls fighting to stay above the water.
“When the boys saw the girls having difficulty and struggling in the water, they jumped into the water to help,” Mr. Buntha said, adding that all four were wearing their school uniforms at the time.
“The boys grabbed the girls, who were rescued, but the boys sank,” he said. Police were still searching for their bodies Wednesday, he said.
