An eight-year-old girl has died and her younger brother is missing after they were swept away in a California river swollen by rapidly melting mountain snow.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded at about 2 p.m. on Sunday, following a report of children missing in the Kings River.
The children, their mother and a friend had entered the water about a mile from Pine Flat Dam, the sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook on Sunday night.
“The group was trying make their way out to a specific rock to climb on when the current carried the kids away,” the sheriff’s office said. “Neither were wearing life jackets.”
Deputies Recover Child’s Body from Kings RiverShortly before 2:00 pm on Sunday, an 8 year old girl and her 4 year old brother fell into the Kings River and were swept downstream. This occurred…
Deputies and Cal Fire firefighters began searching the river. Less than an hour later, they found the body of the little girl. The search for the four-year-old boy is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
Newsweek has contacted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for further comment via email.
The Kings River and the San Joaquin River have been closed to recreational users since March 14.
The sheriff’s office said the closure was due to the heavy winter storms and melting snow that have raised water levels and created dangerous conditions.
Deputies have been conducting patrols on both rivers, with the sheriff’s office warning that anyone accessing the river would be found in violation of Penal Code 409.5(c), an infraction that come with a minimum fine of $225.
“The conditions of our waterways will only become more dangerous heading into summer as snow melts and dams release even more water into the rivers,” the sheriff’s office said. “The water remains cold, in the low 50s, the current is swift and trees serve as dangerous obstacles.”
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Meanwhile, authorities were investigating after a body was found in Folsom Lake, northeast of Sacramento, on Friday. The person hasn’t yet been identified.
Angela Musallam, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, told The Sacramento Bee that it was possible the person was one of the swimmers who went missing after being swept away in the American River.
According to the sheriff’s office, at least two people are missing and presumed drowned in separate incidents in the river in recent weeks.
On April 29, a group of friends reported that one person in their party had been swept away in the river. And on May 14, a man jumped into the North Fork of the river before being swept away.
Officials have warned people to be very careful along rivers with stronger, higher flows.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that the county’s difficult terrain significantly affects the number of access points for rescue teams.
“This means we may not be able to enter the river immediately and will not be able to catch up to the individual, as they could have been swept too far downstream,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
“Last winter’s heavy snowpack is melting down into our rivers, and the water is colder (45 degrees), stronger and higher — it will remain that way for at least the next month, possibly longer. Be river-wise, this year IS different.”