The students of Shakuntala Vidyalaya, Bhilai were on a school tour to Sirpur village in Mahasamund yesterday, police said today.
They went for a swim in Mahanadi river when three of them -- all students of Class XI--, were washed away. The other students raised an alarm after they could not locate them.
"The three students were washed away by in the heavy current," Superintendent of Police T R Paikra said, adding that the bodies were later fished out from the river.
The deceased were identified as - Mayank Thakur, Ankit Kishor and Anugrah Daniel, the SP said.