Kuala Lumpur - The bodies of two girls who went missing after they tumbled into a river following the collapse of a suspension bridge have been discovered, Malaysian search and rescue officials said Thursday.

On Monday, a total of 22 students were thrown into a river in the northern state of Perak when the bridge tumbled. The students were on a camping trip involving 298 students from 60 schools in the state.

Rescuers found 11-year-old Dina Deve Nathan's body several hours later, while the search continued for two other missing girls.

However, volunteers at the site found 11-year-old M Devatharshini's body late Wednesday, and then recovered the body of 12-year-old V Divyashree early Thursday morning, district police chief Abdul Aziz Salleh was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

The girls' bodies were found more than 15 kilometres downstream from where the accident occurred, he said.

The incident has sparked a public outcry after it was reported that the iron-cable bridge had been built less than a month ago to replace an older bridge.

The government has ordered an immediate investigation into the accident, and has pledged to bring to justice those responsible for the faulty bridge.