Teenage girl drowns in Merseyside reservoir despite emergency rescue efforts
A tragic incident occurred at Carr Mill Dam in St Helens, Merseyside, when a 15-year-old girl lost her life while swimming with her friends. Merseyside Police received reports of the teenager in distress at around 12.30pm, prompting the emergency services to rush to the scene.
Chief Inspector Paul Holden reported that officers entered the water in an attempt to locate the young girl. Despite their best efforts, the search ended with the recovery of her body. He expressed heartfelt condolences to the girl’s family and friends during this difficult time. The police were joined by officers from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in their search efforts.
The girl’s next of kin have been informed, and they will be supported by specialist officers, according to the police. Emergency vehicles, such as police cars, an underwater search van, ambulances, and fire engines, were stationed in a nearby pub’s car park during the search. A large area was cordoned off to the public.
Kevin Longshaw, St Helens Area Manager for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, stated that four fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and firefighters in water kit entered the dam to search. Officers were seen patrolling the path around the dam.
Adele Laitak, 50 years old, from Liverpool, recounted hearing a girl shouting while walking around the dam. Laitak said, “It sounded like she was in distress, but we couldn’t see anything from where we were. As we came round, we saw fire engines.”
Laitak added that the shouts sounded like cries for help, but it was unclear if it was just children playing around. A police officer at the lake’s edge informed Laitak that a child had gone missing, and some women indicated that two children had entered the water, but only one managed to get out.
Police have stated that the death is not being treated as suspicious. They are urging anyone who was in the area at the time to contact the force to help establish what happened.
