Girl, 6, Dies After Falling Into Canal With Two Other Children
A six-year-old girl has died after she and two other children fell into a canal while playing in a park.
Tragic
Imie Harrison was among three kids who tumbled into the cold water in
Kidderminster, Worcs, shortly before 6.20pm yesterday.
Two of the youngsters got themselves out but Imie remained trapped and went into cardiac arrest.
Imie’s
twin brother, who has not been named, raised the alarm after the three
children ended up in the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near
Wolverley Court Lock.
Police
officers and a member of the public finally pulled her from the water
at about 6.30pm. She was airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham by police
helicopter but died soon afterwards.
The family of Imie are "absolutely devastated", police said today.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said they were called "to reports of children in difficulty in the water."
A spokesman said: "A female was recovered from the water and found to be in cardiac arrest.
"Resuscitation was immediately carried out on the child before the patient was later taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
"Two
further children were treated at the scene for hypothermia. A boy and
girl, believed to be 6-years-old were out of the water when ambulance
crews arrived."
The other two children were conveyed to Worcester Hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.
Superintendent Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia Police, said four children, all aged six, had been playing near the lock.
Two fell in and another then went in to try to get them out, while the fourth ran home to raise the alarm.
He
said the incident appeared to be “an extremely tragic accident” at this
stage, adding: “Our thoughts are with Imie’s family, who are absolutely
devastated by her death.
“We are working hard to establish exactly how Imie came to be in the water.”
A
spokesman for the force said: “The three children were all rushed to
hospital but sadly the six-year-old girl was pronounced dead a short
time after arriving at Birmingham Children’s Hospital."
The scene
at the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, near Wolverley Court
Lock, remains taped off today as officers investigate the death.