An 11-year-old girl was reported missing after she was seen entering the River Thames while playing by the water on a day off from school. The incident occurred close to Barge House Causeway, in the vicinity of London City Airport in east London, prompting an urgent response from emergency services.
Local residents revealed that the child had been paddling in the river before she disappeared. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene at around 13:15 BST on Monday following reports that a young girl had entered the River Thames and failed to resurface.
The Metropolitan Police quickly initiated a major search operation, enlisting support from HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and the London Fire Brigade (LFB). Boats and helicopters were deployed as part of the extensive search efforts.
One local resident, Kerry Benadjaoud, aged 62, discovered several personal belongings near the water, which are believed to belong to the missing girl. These included shoes, a sock, a coat and a mobile phone. The items were promptly handed over to police officers at the scene.
“Apparently she was paddling, so her socks and shoes were off, her coat, then she must have slipped and gone down,” Ms Benadjaoud said, describing what may have occurred before the girl vanished from sight.
Eyewitness accounts indicate the girl had been accompanied by two other children—a young boy and a girl—when the incident unfolded. Residents who live near the causeway described a scene of distress and confusion as the situation developed.
The emergency response was described by police as a “large-scale operation,” involving various rescue units. However, by Monday evening, teams from the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, and the RNLI were stood down as the day’s search efforts came to an end.
Ms Benadjaoud recounted a heartbreaking conversation with the young boy who had been with the girl. She estimated the child to be around eight or nine years old.
“The little boy turned around and said ‘I tried to hold her hand but it slipped. I said to the little boy’s parents, obviously he needs to see someone because it’s going to affect him later,” she added, acknowledging the psychological impact such an event could have on a young child.
Another resident, Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road, just off the causeway, provided further details about the moments leading up to the emergency.
“I heard upstairs a guy was screaming ‘wait there, wait, the police is coming’,” she said.
The man had reportedly been standing on a balcony overlooking the river and was alerted by the children’s cries. Ms Rajaendram described how two children then appeared on top of the bridge, clearly distressed.
“Then they said ‘one of my friends was playing in the water, one of my friends has gone into water and she’s gone underneath and we can’t find her’,” she recalled.
The location where the incident took place—Barge House Causeway—is a concrete slipway that leads directly into the Thames and is frequently used for launching and transporting boats. Local residents noted that the surface of the slope was covered in moss, making it extremely slippery and hazardous, particularly for children playing nearby.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the girl has been found, and the search is expected to continue as the investigation progresses. The community remains in shock, and residents are urging for increased safety measures in the area to prevent similar incidents in the future.
