Thames missing girl: Body found in search for child who disappeared in river

A body has been found in the search for a young girl believed to be nine years old who went .

rushed to Gravesend, Kent, on Friday afternoon following a report that two children had entered the river near the Royal Terrace Pier. A boy was rescued and taken to a local , where he remains in a stable condition.

This morning, Kent Police's Marine Unit and H.M. continued searching the water and river bank. Sadly, a body was recovered from the river at around 11.40am, Kent Police said. The force said formal identification by the missing girl's next of kin has taken place and her death is not being treated as suspicious.

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Locals have claimed that the two children, believed to be from Romania, were siblings, reported. According to , the boy, thought to be seven years old, was rescued by two men who jumped into the river to save him.

A spokesman for the nearby Gravesend Rowing Club said one of the men swam out using a life ring. He managed to rescue the boy but lost sight of the girl before he could help her. A search was launched but it was suspended at around 6.30pm on Friday, before resuming this morning, when the girl's body was sadly found.

A woman who made her way to the pier to help with the search said on Friday: "The little girl is Romanian. We saw it on our community group so we came down here to help. We don't know her name or the family."

Other locals spoke of the dangers of the river with one saying: "The river is so dangerous. The currents are incredibly strong. It looks calm and lovely but it is treacherous. You can be swept away in seconds. And the water is freezing cold too."

said in a statement this afternoon: "Officers searching the River Thames near Gravesend for a missing girl have located a body. Kent Police was called by the Port of London Authority at 1.46pm on Friday 30 May 2025, to concerns for the welfare of two children who had entered the river at Royal Pier Road.

"Patrols, H.M. Coastguard, the RNLI and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene where a boy had been retrieved from the water. He remains at a local hospital in a stable condition."

The police added: "Kent Police's Marine Unit and H.M. Coastguard continued the search of the water and river bank this morning. At around 11.40am, a body was recovered from the river near Gravesend with the assistance of the RNLI.

"Formal identification by the missing girl's next of kin has taken place. The death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage and a report will be prepared for the coroner."