ZHENGZHOU - Four students have drowned while playing near a river in Central China's Henan province - the country's second drowning tragedy in two days, authorities said on Monday.

Five pupils in their fifth year from the Shahepu Town Primary School in Gushi county, Xinyang city, were playing near Shihe River on Sunday afternoon when they accidentally fell in, Gushi county authorities said.

One student was rescued by a passer-by but four others drowned. Their bodies were salvaged by rescuers.

On Saturday, five second-year students from a middle school in South China's Guangdong province drowned. Four of them were attempting to rescue a drowning pupil, but all five drowned.

In Xinyang City alone, five cases of children drowning, including the latest one, have been reported this year. As a result a total of 14 children have died.