Four schoolboys drown while bathing in Ma Oya in Alawwa

Four schoolboys have reportedly drowned while bathing in the Ma Oya at the Walakumbura area in Alawwa, while another student has been rescued by residents in the area and hospitalized.

The drowning victims are Grade 9 students of a school in the Polgahawela area, police said.

Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said a group of five boys were bathing in the river when the incident occurred.