Two 7-year-old boys drowned in Kandal province’s Mok Kampol district on Wednesday morning, about a week after four children drowned in separate incidents in several of the Kingdom’s provinces.

Sopheak Chetra and Prak Seangly were playing in the shallow end of a section of the Mekong River when one jumped into deeper water, said Moth Chanthorn, penal office chief in Mok Kampol. The other tried to save his sinking friend, but neither could swim.

An 8-year-old girl swimming with the two tried to call for help, but to no avail, Chanthorn said.

“When she saw the two boys drowning, the girl ran to get [Chetra’s] grandmother and other villagers for help, but she could not find them in time,” Chanthorn said.

The drownings follow four last week in Phnom Penh, Svay Rieng and Kampong Chhnang provinces.

Cambodian children under the age of 15 are twice as likely to drown compared to their peers in several neighbouring countries, according to World Health Organization data.