MANILA, Philippines — Seven Boy Scouts drowned while swimming Saturday at a beach in the central Philippines, police said.

The boys, aged 11 to 17, were among 6,000 attending a provincial Jamboree in San Joaquin town in Iloilo province, about 295 miles southeast of Manila, regional police chief George Alino said.

In a report to the national police headquarters in Manila, Alino said the victims, along with several other scouts and at least two scout masters, apparently ignored warnings by local elders not to swim in the area because of its treacherous underwater currents.

A radio report quoted one survivor as saying those who died did not know how to swim.

The report said several dozen scouts went to the beach from their camp at the nearby town stadium and ventured into the shallow water during low tide. The victims were later swamped by the onrushing sea when the tide suddenly came in, the report said.

Alino said rescuers failed to revive the boys.

Alino said he has ordered an investigation.