Body found in search for boy, 12, missing in river

BBC

A body has been found in a search for a 12-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in a river.

The boy was with friends when he got into difficulty in the River Ribble, Ribchester, Lancashire, at about 14:00 BST on Tuesday.

Police and fire crews with underwater units launched a major search of the area until a body was recovered from the water at about 19:50 BST.

Formal identification has not yet taken place, but Lancashire Police said: “We believe it to be the body of the missing boy.” The force said the death was not believed to be suspicious and a file would be passed to the coroner. The boy’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.

A police spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are very much with his loved ones at this extremely distressing time.”

Earlier, while the large-scale search was under way, one resident told BBC North West Tonight that part of the river was a “hotspot” for children and it tended to be people from out of the area who visited to swim.

Ann-Marie Ruddock, who has lived in Ribchester since 1991, said: “Locals are well aware of the dangers of the river and they tend to keep away from it. It’s nightmare scenario.”

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Much of England and Wales is in an official heatwave, with amber and yellow heat-health alerts issued for many areas by the UK Health Security Agency on Tuesday.

In Halifax, West Yorkshire, a 13-year-old boy, named locally as Reco Puttock, was pronounced dead after being pulled from Leadbeater Dam.

In Warwickshire, a teenage girl died at the scene after her body was recovered from Kingsbury Water Park, while in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, police recovered the body of a teenage boy from a lake in Rother Valley Country Park.

The spate of water-related deaths follows the drowning of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln on Sunday.

The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) has issued a warning following the deaths, saying “warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings”.

The RLSS warned water temperatures remained very cold, despite increased air temperatures, and that cold water shock could make swimming difficult and increased the difficulty in getting out of the water.

Anyone who saw someone in an emergency in the water should call 999, stay out of the water themselves and throw them something that floats, such as a plastic water bottle or football for them to hold onto and stay afloat while help is on the way, the RLSS added.

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Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

Lancashire Police