The River Soar (Nigel French/PA)
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A frantic search for a toddler who fell into a river while out with his family is ongoing in Leicester, while a man has been rushed to hospital.
The two-year-old boy has been missing since Sunday after he fell into the River Soar.
The major search operation is set to continue with “additional specialist teams” on Monday morning, Leicestershire Police said.
Emergency services attended the scene just after 5pm and a search and rescue operation to find the boy began in Aylestone Meadows, close to Marsden Lane, to the south of Leicester city.
Footage posted online showed police on a bridge near Riverside Drive. A helicopter was also seen hovering above the scene using a searchlight to scan the area.
A man from the scene was taken to hospital “as a precautionary measure”, police said.
Police have urged to people not to attend the scene over fears of rising water levels and safety risks, after they received a number of requests to offer support in the search operation.
Residents express ‘heartbreak’ over possible drowning of boy
Residents in Leicester expressed their shock and heartbreak over the news of a two-year-old boy going missing in the river.
Many of them took to social media to express solidarity with the family and urged people to not crowd the site where police were leading the search.
“This is so so sad I could see from my house the amount of specialist services that were searching but it got dark very quickly I couldn’t stop thinking about it all through the night,” resident Vicki Hudson said on Facebook.
Another said that while everyone wants to go down and help “I don’t think it’s the best idea”.
“It’s heartbreaking and such sad circumstances but I think the police and specialists know best at this point. Please be extra careful. No matter how good of a swimmer you could be, with the floods etc it’s dangerous,” the user said.
Police ‘suspended search’ at night
Police suspended the search last night and said they would resume work in the morning, according to reports.
A police helicopter was seen in the skies searching the river at about 5.40pm. It was later replaced with a drone.
The helicopter then returned at 6.40pm after refuelling.
Last night in a statement the police said: “The operation is ongoing and will continue with additional specialist teams in the morning.”
However, it was reported by the Daily Mail that officers suspended their search as conditions got darker around the swollen river and canal in Aylestone.
Residents describe ‘horrible’ scenes in Leicester after boy goes missing
Many residents of Leicestershire have described the chaotic scenes around the city after a two-year-old boy fell into the river.
A resident said he saw people going down the River Soar with just their phone torch lights and called it “reckless” amid the warnings from police to not go near the river.
“Just went by Middleton Street, people going down to the river with just their phone torches, very silly and reckless,” a resident said on X.
Many residents have rallied around the family and emergency services and offered support in the search for the child.
However, Leicestershire Police have urged members of the public not to go near the river due to dangerous rising water levels.
“We have had a number of offers of support to assist with the search and would kindly ask that people do not attend the scene due to rising water levels and safety risks,” the police said.
Another resident said: “Horrible looking scenes down Middleton Street. Had to turn around and divert. Hope there’s good news at the end of it all”.
A resident, Luke Donnachie, said he was out looking for the boy.
He said “there was a certain point in the river” which splits into two and a part of it has “trees and branches all built up in the water”.
“I couldn’t get in the water myself but could be worth a professional search in case gets caught up with the flow, will be such a long shot now so many hours after,” he said.
“Thoughts and prayers going out to the family at this horrendous time, as a parent myself to a 4-year-old I couldn’t think of anything worse hence why I just had to go out and at least have a little search.”
One person taken to hospital
Police said a man was taken to hospital “as a precautionary measure” after the boy fell into the river.
Leicestershire Police said the child’s family are being supported by specialist officers.
The force said: “Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time.
“We have had a number of offers of support to assist with the search and would kindly ask that people do not attend the scene due to rising water levels and safety risks.”
They urged the public to provide information if anyone has any information or comes across anything.
People are asked to contact 999 with information quoting incident 476:180224.
Major search after boy, 2, falls into river in Leicestershire
A major search is underway for a two-year-old boy who fell into a river in Leicestershire. Police are looking for the child in the River Soar after the report came in around 5pm yesterday.
Officers said the boy was with his family when he entered the water and he had not been found by 10.30pm. Emergency services attended and a search and rescue operation began in Aylestone Meadows, close to Marsden Lane.
Footage posted online shows police on a bridge near Riverside Drive. A helicopter was also seen hovering above the scene using a searchlight to scan the area.
Read our full report.
Boy missing for more than 12 hours
A two-year-old boy has been missing for more than 12 hours after he fell into the River Soar in Leicester.
The boy, who has not been named, was with his family when the incident happened on Sunday and police attended the scene at 5pm.
A search operation has been launched to find the boy around Aylestone Meadows.
Police said the child was not located “despite the best efforts” of all those at the site, in a statement issued at 10.30pm last night.
“The operation is ongoing and will continue with additional specialist teams in the morning,” police said.
Details about the circumstances in which the boy fell into the river are unknown.
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of a major search operation in Leicestershire to find a two-year-old boy who fell into the river and has been missing since
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvaG9tZS1uZXdzL2xlaWNlc3Rlci1taXNzaW5nLWJveS1yaXZlci1zb2FyLWxhdGVzdC11cGRhdGUtYjI0OTgzNjYuaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5
2024-02-19 08:57:19Z
CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvaG9tZS1uZXdzL2xlaWNlc3Rlci1taXNzaW5nLWJveS1yaXZlci1zb2FyLWxhdGVzdC11cGRhdGUtYjI0OTgzNjYuaHRtbNIBAA
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