Twenty-two students, aged between 10 and 12 were presumed to have drowned after being swept away by strong currents when they fell in the Kampar River in Perak last night.
They were among the 298 other students who were part of a program of four days of motivation including 60 schools in the district of Kinta Selatan.
The children were crossing a hanging bridge of 30m, to put Sungai Kampar, when the bridge suddenly collapsed.
Thirty students were crossing the bridge when it sold and 22 of them plunged into the river, while the rest managed to escape to safety.
A team of search and rescue, with some 100 police, firefighters and volunteers are combing real current area of search for victims along the banks of Sungai Kampar.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, who arrived on the scene last night said the incident occurred at 10.30pm exercise after dinner, students had their delay.
Zambry said that rescue efforts are continuing, but after 1:30 there was no sign of one of the victims.
Zambry said the program, held at the Kuala Dipang Sekolah Kebangsaan, has been canceled and parents were told to retrieve their children at home.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the team search and rescue said the children camping at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Dipang for the night until their parents.
