Frantic hunt for boy, 2, after he falls into river as man taken to hospital

19 February 2024 , 07:37

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Frantic hunt for boy, 2, after he falls into river as man taken to hospital

Detectives will resume the search for a toddler on Monday after he vanished falling into a river.

Police launched an urgent search on Sunday evening for the two-year-old boy after he was reported to have fallen into the River Soar in Leicester. The youngster, whose identity has not been revealed, was with family at the time and the horrifying incident also resulted in a man being taken to hospital.

A helicopter and drone was seen scouring the area around the rover on Sunday evening after reports the child fell at around 5pm. Leicestershire Police said late on Sunday evening that a frantic search was temporarily paused due to the darkness, but was resuming again on Monday morning.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Earlier this evening (Sunday 18 February) officers were called to the River Soar in Leicester after reports of a child falling into the water. The child, a 2-year-old boy, was with family when he fell into the river, sadly despite the best efforts of those at the scene at the time the child was not located.

The child had been with family when he fell into the water yesterday

"Emergency services attended the scene just after 5pm and a search and rescue operation began in Aylestone Meadows, close to Marsden Lane. A man was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. The operation is ongoing and will continue with additional specialist teams in the morning. The child’s family are being supported by specialist officers and our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time.

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"We have had a number of offers of support to assist with the search and would kindly ask that people do not attend the scene due to rising water levels and safety risks. If anyone has any information or comes across anything that may assist officers, they are asked to contact us immediately."

A search operation underway on the River Soar in Leicester following reports that a three-year-old boy fell in (PA)

A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service told the BBC the search was being led by police but that they were summoned just after 5pm and sent our water rescue teams. One local resident, named only as Adam, said he had been with his daughter on their bikes near the scene at the time.

He said: "We usually ride along the river by Aylestone Meadows but the police told us not to go tonight when we went down there. The parents must be absolutely beside themselves."

Susie Beever