Girl taking national exam drowns in N china

SHIJIAZHUANG - A girl died after falling into a roadside drain on Friday in North China's Hebei province, the local government said Saturday.

Wang Jinhe, a 19-year-old graduate of the Dingzhou High School, fell into a drain near the road while walking in the rain around 2 pm Friday, according to the Dingzhou municipal government.

Torrential rains have battered Dingzhou and flooded urban roads. Wang had left a stalled car and was walking to her college entrance exam.

Friday is the first day of the the country's annual national college entrance examination, or gaokao.

The girl was rescued after four hours of rescue efforts. However, she later perished at the hospital.