Teenage girl dies after ‘falling into River Etherow following Greater Manchester village’s annual duck race’
- Emergency services called around 7.50pm to reports of a girl in difficulty in river
A teenage girl has died after falling into a river during a village fun day in Greater Manchester, emergency officials said this morning.
A huge 999 response was scrambled to the River Etherow in Broadbottom near Hyde last night after the area’s annual Duck Race and barbecue.
Police and firefighters launched a large search after witnesses said a person, who they believed to be a young girl, had entered the water shortly before 8pm.
It was unclear if she had entered the water deliberately or fallen in. Sources said the drama unfolded some time after the supervised duck race had concluded.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said they sent a water incident response unit and a technical response unit to the scene.
Emergency services at the scene in Broadbottom, Greater Manchester, yesterday evening
Emergency workers battled to locate the youngster for several hours before departing at around 11pm.
And early today they delivered the sad news that the girl had not survived.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: ‘A teenage girl has sadly died following a search in water near Hodge Lane, Broadbottom.
‘Enquiries are ongoing but detectives from Tameside CID are confident there aren’t any suspicious circumstances.
‘Officers are supporting the family at this incredibly difficult time.’
The Broadbottom Duck Race is an annual fundraiser that sees competitors purchase plastic ducks and release them on the water to see which completes a course first.
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