An 11-year-old girl who is missing after entering the River Thames in London on Monday has been named by police as Kaliyah Coa.
Kaliyah, who had been playing during a school inset day, entered the water near Bargehouse Causeway near London City airport in east London.
Emergency services were called at 1.23pm on Monday, with London ambulance service, London fire brigade, the RNLI and the Coastguard searching for the schoolgirl.
The Metropolitan police said officers were leading a recovery mission along the Thames to find Kaliyah.
Ch Supt Dan Card, local policing commander for north-east London, said: “Our specialist officers are supporting Kaliyah’s family through this deeply upsetting time and our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.
“We are committed to finding Kaliyah and are working with partners to conduct a thorough search over a wide area – utilising drone technology and boats.
“I’d like to thank members of the public, our first responding officers, and colleagues from other emergency services, as they responded rapidly to carry out a large-scale search during a highly pressurised and distressing time.”
A woman said she carried a life ring to the Thames shoreline to try to save Kaliyah but was unable to find her.
Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, told the PA news agency on Monday: “My neighbour next door, she was outside doing her garden and there was two little kids running, and they said ‘my friend’s in the water.’”
A man told Benadjaoud that he had called the police, she said, adding: “But he said at the time he could see [the girl’s] hands going down. So, by the time I got down there with the ring I couldn’t find her.”
