A boy drowned Friday afternoon when swimming in Hanjiang River, in Xiantao City of central China's Hubei province, and four others are still missing.

Six youngsters, all male, plunged into the river at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. But five of the six disappeared soon after they jumped into a section of the river which is just beneath the Hanjiang Bridge, eight kilometers away from Xiantao. One boy managed to get help after seeing his pals swallowed by water.

Police officers arrived at the scene ten minutes after receiving the emergency call and retrieved one body from the river.

Four boats, as well as a special rescue team, have been dispatched to the location to help search for the four remaining youngsters, according to police sources.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2006)