BEIJING, June 3 (Reuters) - Two of five Chinese schoolgirls died in a group suicide bid after drinking alcohol, a tragedy sparked by insults aimed at one of the victims after she spurned advances of a classmate, Xinhua news agency said.

Five fifth-grade girls from the impoverished eastern province of Anhui tried to drown themselves in a pond after class on Thursday after drinking wine and beer.

"One of them quit and ran back to the village for help but the other four jumped into the pond, leaving two dead," Xinhua said, quoting police.

Investigations showed that one of the girls, Wang Xiao, had rejected the advances of a classmate.

"It gave rise to a flurry of discussions in the class which made Wang feel uncomfortable. She decided to jump into the river and drown herself to safeguard her reputation and four close friends joined Wang to show loyalty and support."

The local government ordered school authorities to strengthen psychological guidance for pupils and guard against similar tragedies.

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