Three children, aged 5, 7 and 8 years, have died in two separate drowning incidents at Wailoaloa Beach in Nadi yesterday.
Police say the first incident involved two girls, aged 8 and 7, who were found floating in the water by bystanders.
The two girls had accompanied their mother to the beach for a picnic when the incident occurred.
In a separate incident at the same beach, a 5-year-old girl was found floating near the shoreline by bystanders.
Police say the child had accompanied her father for a picnic when the incident occurred.
Police say both incidents will be investigated for possible negligence.
The three deaths bring the country's national drowning toll to 50, compared with 31 during the same period last year.
Police say the loss of three young lives is a tragic reminder of the importance of closely supervising children at all times, particularly when they are near water.
They stress that drowning is preventable when proper safety precautions are followed and warn that even a moment of complacency can result in the loss of a life.
