An 11-year-old girl is missing after entering the River Thames while paddling on a day off school, according to residents near the scene, reports Breaking News.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called at around 1:15 p.m. on Monday to reports that a girl had entered the river near Barge House Causeway, close to London City Airport.
Emergency services launched a large-scale search operation, but the effort was later scaled down, with the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, and RNLI standing down their crews, reports Breaking News.
Residents said the girl had been playing near the water with a young boy and another girl when the incident occurred.
Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who lives nearby, recalled hearing a man on a balcony shouting, “Wait there, wait, the police are coming,” after being alerted by the children’s screams, reports Breaking News.
Shortly after, two children emerged from the riverbank, telling Rajaendram that their friend had gone into the water and disappeared beneath the surface.
One of the children ran home while the boy, who was around eight or nine years old, remained to show Rajaendram where the girl had gone into the water, reports Breaking News.
Rajaendram called her neighbor, Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, who rushed down with a life ring but was unable to see the girl.
A man at the scene told Benadjaoud that he had seen the girl’s hands going under before calling the police, reports Breaking News.
Benadjaoud later discovered shoes, a sock, a coat, and a phone near the river and handed them over to the police.
“Apparently, she was paddling, so her socks and shoes were off, her coat, then she must have slipped and gone down,” she said.
The search for the missing girl continues, reports Breaking News.
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