Three schoolgirls from Chamboko Village in Seke near Dema Growth Point drowned in Hunyani River where they had gone to swim.
The girls are said to have left home to wash their clothes in the afternoon and decided to swim afterwards.
While swimming, one of the girls realised that her friends were drowning and rushed to the village to alert the elders.
An uncle who rushed to the scene found the girls already drowned.
With assistance from other villagers they managed to retrieve the bodies and alerted Dema police who attended the scene and conveyed the bodies to Chitungwiza Hospital mortuary for post mortem.
ZRP Mashonaland East spokesperson, Inspector Nobert Muzondo confirmed the incident and appealed to the public to avoid letting children playing on water bodies like dams, rivers or wells without supervision.
The deceased have been identified as Bridget Takawira (14), Natasha Charakupa (9) and Beauty Banola (9).
The girls were all students at Marikopo Primary School.-State Media