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8 students drown during swimming break in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian authorities say eight students have drowned during a swimming break on an end-of-term school trip.

Local police chief Alberto Antezana says the 29 students aged 17 to 19 set out from the eastern city of Santa Cruz on a trip around part of the country. They asked the driver to stop at the Ichoa River so they could go swimming, but misjudged the force of the current.

Rescuers recovered the last of the eight bodies on Wednesday.

They were flown to their home city of Potosi, where Gov. Feliz Gonzalez said the government will give economic aid to the families, who are poor.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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