RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Four children from the same family drowned Sunday afternoon in a reservoir in rural Paramirim in Brazil's eastern state of Bahia, local authorities said Monday.
The victims, aged between three and nine, were three siblings and their cousin.
The accident occurred in the community of Salina Branca in southwestern Bahia, when five children were playing in a trough commonly used to feed animals near the edge of the reservoir.
According to preliminary information, the structure slipped into the water and submerged the minors under its weight. An 11-year-old boy managed to swim to shore, but the other four failed to escape.
Two adults at the scene attempted to rescue the children and managed to help the boy who survived. Firefighters, military police and emergency medical teams were subsequently dispatched to the area.
Search operations continued for several hours due to the depth of the water and the presence of submerged obstacles before the four bodies were recovered.
The municipal government of Paramirim expressed solidarity with the victims' family and suspended classes in the public school system. ■
