WUHAN - Five junior high school students drowned and one other missing in central China's Hubei Province on Sunday, said the local government.

Six students from Lianghezhen Middle School went along the Juzhang River in Dangyang City, taking pictures of one another while playing near the riverside on Sunday afternoon.

Four students accidentally fell into the river at about 2 p.m. and the other two were swept away while attempting to rescue them.

As of 9 p.m., the bodies of five drowned students were retrieved. But one student remained missing, according to the municipal government.

Search and rescue efforts are continuing for the missing students.