Eight children drowned in a river in southwestern China after one fell in and the others jumped in to help, state media said Monday.

The children, described as elementary-school age, had gone to play at a beach Sunday on the Fu River, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Their bodies were recovered by Monday morning.

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They came from Mixin, a town near Sichuan province on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis of Chongqing. No further details were immediately available.

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Heavy rain had been forecast for the area, but it wasn’t clear if the weather was a factor.