Gia Lai Province General Hospital today confirmed the death of a fifth-grade girl, raising the death toll of the drowning accident in Dak Koa District to three.

The pond in Dac Doa District, Gia Lai Province, where three girls drowned on Tuesday. — Photo tienphong.vn

On Tuesday, five girls from Groi 2 village went over to a pond in the neighbouring Broch 2 village for a swim. Three of them, known as Thuoi, Lanh and Doi, drowned.

Lanh, a fifth grader, and 11-year-old Thuoi died at the scene while Doi was transported to Gia Lai General Hospital for emergency treatment. She later died at the hospital.

Drowning is one of the main causes of child death in Vietnam.

In mid-April, nine sixth-grade schoolboys drowned while they were swimming in Tra Khuc River in the central Quang Ngai Province.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health revealed that on average, nine children died from drowning every day last year in Vietnam.

VNS