A huge search operation has been launched after an 11-year-old girl fell and vanished in the River Thames as she played with friends, neighbours claimed.
Police helicopters and boats have been dispatched in the search after the girl slipped and fell into the water close to the Woolwich Ferry in east London at 1.15pm on Monday.
Two panicked friends she was with before she entered the Thames alerted neighbours shouting “my friend’s in the water”.
Her family are aware of the incident and are being supported by officers.
A neighbour told The Sun: “She apparently called her dad and asked if she could take her shoes off and paddle in the water because it was hot.
“The little boy was holding her hand to help her step in the water but obviously she slipped, because it’s really slippy.
“As soon as she fell she was gone. She just disappeared into the tide. The boy came running to one of my neighbours for help but it was too late.”
A mother has said she carried a life ring to the shoreline to try and save her but she was unable to find the child.
Lifelong area resident Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, said: “My neighbour next door, she was outside doing her garden and there was two little kids running, and they said ‘my friend’s in the water’.”
The neighbour called Ms Benadjaoud, who said she then went to pick up a nearby life ring.
The two women live on a residential street that leads onto Barge House Causeway – a concrete slope that goes directly into the River Thames and is used to transport boats.
A man told Ms Benadjaoud that he had called the police, she said, adding: “But he said at the time he could see her (the girl’s) hands going down. So, by the time I got down there with the ring I couldn’t find her.”
Ms Benadjaoud said she found shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone near the river, and handed the items to the police.
The rescue operation also involves RNLI, a Border Force Viper boat and a search and rescue helicopter, according to news agency UKNIP.
An RNLI spokeswoman said their lifeboat has been “stood down” after being called to Woolwich.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called at around 1.15pm on Monday, 31 March to reports of an 11-year-old girl who had entered the River Thames near to Barge House Causeway, E16.
“A large scale response is ongoing, supported by all emergency services, working together to conduct an extensive search in efforts to locate her.
“Her next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers.”
The London Fire Brigade deployed drones and its fire boat to help a “systematic search” of the area.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said their crew arrived at the scene but have since been stood down.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team (HART)”, they said
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