A 12-year old girl is alleged to have drowned while swimming with friends in the Nasiriti River in Tavua yesterday.

Police Spokesperson Ana Naisoro says the victim who resides in Suva had accompanied her father to their village of Tavualevu.

Naisoro says the deceased had gone swimming with her friends when the alleged incident occurred.

She was last seen diving off a tree and failed to surface.

A search was conducted and her body was found minutes later.

She was rushed to the Tavua Hospital and attempts to revive her were futile.

A post mortem will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death.

The drowning toll currently stands at 5 compared to 7 for the same period last year.