A friend of a schoolgirl who has gone missing in the River Thames reportedly tried to pull her out of the water before she went under.
The 11-year-old was reportedly down at the water with her friends near Woolwich yesterday when she slipped and fell into the deadly river.
A major search operation was launched by the authorities who raced down to the waterway at around 1.15pm to Barge House Causeway.
However in the hours that ensued they were unable to locate her.
According to witnesses, the youngster had been ‘playing in the water’ with a young boy and girl before she went under and did not come back up.
Mother of two Eva, 33 who saw the girl slip, said: ‘I shouted at the kids to get away from the water when I saw them playing but they didn’t listen.
‘Then about five minutes later I went back onto the balcony because I heard screaming and a little boy was holding onto her hand and she was in the water.
‘I don’t know if she lent in to get a shoe or if she just slipped. Then she slipped under the water and the boy just started screaming.’
A police rib scours the Thames as the search for an 11-year-old girl who fell into the river yesterday afternoon continues
Thames Police boat Nina Mackay 3 searches the Thames after the schoolgirl fell into the water on Monday
Eva continued: ‘I have to say the emergency services came very quickly but by the time they did she was under the water.
‘The water was so high yesterday, and it is attractive to kids to play here when it’s sunny.’
The mother added: ‘I am just heartbroken, I couldn’t sleep last night.
‘I have two kids and I can’t imagine losing one of them.’
Leanne Mitchell, 31, who lives near the causeway: ‘Apparently she was paddling trying to get a trainer or coat or something belonging to s little boy which had gone into the river.
‘She had gone in to try and retrieve it but she must have slipped on the moss, because the tide was really high as well.
‘From what I heard she was from Beckton and was visiting some friends here.
‘I think her grandmother was here last night.’
She added: ‘I’ve lived here for years and I never see anyone playing on there, some people feed the birds but that’s it.’
RNLI boats scour the Thames as part of a major search and rescue operation on Monday
Another neighbour, aged 50, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I asked my son why they were off school and he said it was Eid yesterday so a load of schools were closed.’
She added: ‘Last night at about 1am my son said there were people letting off fireworks, I heard the explosions.’
The mother added: ‘When she was younger my daughter went and paddled, I was so furious I ran over there and grabbed her and told her ‘that river will eat you’ the currents are so strong even a good adult swimmer would get eaten.
‘There was a little boy a few years ago who got stuck in the mud at the side of the river, he got really lucky because a boat saw him and got him, but it could have been much worse.
‘When my granddaughter comes sometimes I’ll take her to feed the ducks down there, and I only go so far because it’s dangerous, and she slipped, so that just shows you how dangerous it is.
‘It’s one of the last points you can launch a boat into the Thames before central London so they keep it open but there needs to be a gate or something.’
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports that the girl had entered the river close to Barge House Causeway, near London City Airport, at about 1.15pm on Monday.
Emergency services launched a ‘large-scale response’ to the incident, the force said, but the search was later scaled down, with London Ambulance Service (LAS), London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the RNLI saying crews had been stood down.
A fire boat and a boat from the RNLI search the Thames in East London after an 11-year-old girl fell into the river on Monday
The girl’s next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers.
LAS was called at a similar time to police after receiving a report of a person in the water at Lowestoft Mews, close to the airport.
‘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,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Our crews assisted our emergency services partners at the scene but were later stood down.’
LFB deputy assistant commissioner Joseph Kenny said: ‘Firefighters responded to reports of a person in the River Thames near Lowestoft Mews, Newham.
‘Crews from East Ham, Barking, Ilford and Bexley fire stations were sent to the scene alongside crews from the HM Coastguard, RNLI, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police Service.
‘The brigade also deployed its drone team and fire boat as part of its response, with crews carrying out a systematic search of the area.
‘The brigade was first called about the incident at 13:23. Search operations for firefighters were concluded at 15:49 when responsibility for the incident was left with the police.’
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: ‘Tower RNLI was requested to launch this afternoon (March 31) to an incident near Woolwich.
‘The lifeboat was later stood down.’
