NEW DELHI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers fished out bodies of four engineering students from a river Sunday in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The students drowned Saturday evening in the Krishna river near Vijayawada in Krishna district, about 42 km east of Amaravati, the main city of Andhra Pradesh.

"This morning rescuers fished out bodies of four students who drowned last evening," a police official said. "Nearly 100 personnel, from disaster response force were involved in the search operations that went on through the night."

On Saturday four students of a private engineering college who had gone for a picnic to Ibrahimpatnam's Pavitra Sangama were washed away because of strong water currents in the river.

According to police the accident took place when one of them drowned while bathing in the river and three of his friends jumped into the water to rescue him.

The students were hailing from different parts of neighboring Andhra Pradesh state.