Nine sixth graders found drowning in central Vietnam   People are seen gathering along the river where nine middle school students were found drowning in Quang Ngai Province, located in central Vietnam, on April 15, 2016. Tuoi Tre Nine middle school students drowned while swimming in a river in the central province of Quang Ngai on Friday, with all bodies already retrieved. All of the deceased have been identified as sixth-graders at the local Nghia Ha Middle School, according to officials. Search efforts ended at 3:30 pm after authorities confirmed that there were only nine students dying in the accident. An eyewitness said she saw a group of students swimming in the Tra Khuc River around noon, and shouted to ask them to get ashore. The woman then left after the students ignored her. Local residents said they began hearing shouts for help a little after noon. The students were supposed to attend an afternoon class at 3:00 pm. Vietnam’s rate of child drowning is one of the highest in Asia. A recent World Health Organization survey finds that 32 children in Vietnam die from drowning every day, and the number of child drowning deaths per year is as high as 11,665.   Relatives of the victims passed out after hearing of the drownings. Photo: Tuoi Tre   A crowd of people are pictured at the scene of the drownings. Photo:Tuoi Tre TUOI TRE NEWS