Heartbreaking Search Continues for Missing 11-Year-Old Girl in London’s River Thames
A desperate search continues for an 11-year-old girl who vanished after reportedly slipping into the River Thames while paddling near Barge House Causeway in North Woolwich, east London.
The girl had been playing near the water on a school break Monday afternoon, along with two other children, when she was seen entering the river close to London City Airport. Emergency services were called around 1:15 PM (BST) and swiftly launched a large-scale operation involving the Metropolitan Police, HM Coastguard, RNLI, and the London Fire Brigade.
Kerry Benadjaoud, a local resident, discovered the girl’s shoes, coat, sock, and mobile phone near the water’s edge and turned them over to police. “Apparently she was paddling… then she must have slipped and gone down,” Benadjaoud said, recounting the harrowing discovery.
According to witnesses, the young girl was accompanied by a boy and another child. One of the children, believed to be around eight or nine years old, told Benadjaoud, “I tried to hold her hand but it slipped.”
Another resident, Shaleen Rajaendram, described seeing two children in distress shortly after the incident. “They said, ‘One of my friends has gone into the water and we can’t find her.’” She also recalled hearing a man on a nearby balcony scream, “Wait there, wait, the police is coming!”
The causeway, used for transporting boats, slopes directly into the river and is reportedly covered in moss, making it dangerously slippery.
Despite extensive efforts, emergency services were later stood down. As of Tuesday morning, the girl remains unaccounted for, and the community is left shaken and praying for a miracle.
Residents and mental health experts have also expressed concern for the young witnesses who watched their friend disappear, urging that emotional support be provided immediately.
The incident has reignited calls for improved safety measures and signage around river access points across the capital, particularly those in residential and high-traffic areas.
