The casualties were Chiu Chun-hsien and Huang Chun-hsien, both aged 17, who went to Tapao River in Sanshia Township of Taipei County for a swim yesterday morning, along with a friend Chen Chong-hsiang.

According to the local police, Chiu and Huang drowned as they were sucked in by underwater currents at about 9 a.m. Their friend Chen, who stood in shallow waters, shouted for help. Rescue workers then came and pulled the two out of the water. They were immediately taken to the hospital. Both were already dead before arriving at the nearby En Chu Kong Hospital, the hospital said.

Chen told the police that Chiu rented an apartment in Hsinchuang City and let Huang from the central county of Jiayi stay over for a couple of nights to look for a job. Yesterday morning, Chiu called him up and suggested going for a swim together to Tapao River before this accident occurred, he said.

This was the third drowning accident in the recent two weeks in the same river, where four lives had been claimed.

Police said that since Tapao River was not listed as a dangerous river, the authorities had no power to forbid the public to swim there, despite warning signs set up alongside the seemingly-tranquil waters of the fatal river.

The National Fire Agency yesterday urged the public to be more careful when swimming in rivers, particularly after thunderstorms in the summer afternoons lead to a soaring water level and hidden whirlpools.

The agency also stepped up security measures by adding more volunteer lifeguards to dangerous waters lest similar accidents should happen again, following reports that a total of 137 people had died of drowning so far this year, compared to 119 in the same period of last year.

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