Bodies of eight elementary school students were retrieved from the Fuling River in the Tongnan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday.

According to local authorities, the children were playing by the river, where they had come to spend the weekend, when one of them fell into the water. The rest drowned in a bid to save their friend. Further investigation is underway.

The incident has put the spotlight back on how to prevent the rising cases of drowning, particularly during the annual flood season (between June and August).

Read more: What parents should know about 'dry drowning'

On June 6, two students drowned while swimming in a river in Suichuan County of Ji'an City, east China's Jiangxi Province.

Statistics show that drowning is the No. 1 reason behind abnormal death among children in China: Some 57,000 children drown each year, among whom 56.58 percent are under 14 years old. 

To avoid such tragedies, the Education of Supervision Office of the State Council issued a warning on May 29, urging local authorities to pay more attention to preventing children from drowning.

While requesting parents to take responsibility as children's guardians, the children are also advised to learn basic survival and rescue skills.

(Cover: Children play on a beach in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, February 7, 2019. /VCG)