PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Three girls had drowned in a lake in southern Cambodia's Kandal province, said Kuoch Chamroeun, governor of Kandal province, on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Monday in Ta Khmau City when the trio, aged between 12 and 13 years old, bathed in the lake without an adult's presence, he said.
Rescuers took several hours to recover their bodies on Monday night after the victims' shoes and belongings were spotted at the lake shore, Chamroeun wrote on his official Facebook page.
"Last night, I was extremely shocked after receiving this information," he wrote. "I pray for their souls to rest in peace."
The governor also called on parents and legal guardians to take acre of their children to avoid such a tragic incident.
Drownings often happen in Cambodia, especially in rural areas. In April, two children, aged 9 and 10 years old, drowned in the Mekong River in northeast Kratie province. ■
