A teenage girl has died after she was pulled from a river, making her the latest casualty in the UK’s recent spate of water-related deaths.
The girl, 13, was pulled from the River Wharfe near Burnsall, close to Skipton, on Sunday evening following reports that she had gone missing in the water.
Specialist rescue teams and paramedics attended the scene and the girl was airlifted to hospital, where she later died.
A police spokesperson said: ‘Our thanks go to the members of the public who helped at the scene.’
Her identity has not been confirmed.
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It comes after an 11-year-old boy went missing after entering the River Don in South Yorkshire.
Emergency services were called to Ferry Boat Lane in Mexborough at 8pm on Saturday. A specialist search operation involving the National Police Air Service, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service is ongoing.
The boy’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Meanwhile, a woman has died and a man is in critical condition after the pair tried to rescue their pet dog ‘who had become stuck’ at Rossall Beach in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire.
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The coastguard rescued the couple just after 8.30pm on Saturday, but the woman later died in hospital.
The dog was recovered ‘safe and well’.
This weekend’s incidents are the latest in a series of deaths and disappearances in UK bodies of water in recent days.
At least 15 people have died in water since May 24, many of them involving young people.
The first reported was Declan Sawyer, who died while swimming at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln on May 24.
Expert bodies, including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), have issued advice on how to stay safe in the water.
The RNLI’s Float to Live campaign has been put out to raise awareness of how floating in water can save your life.
The organisation’s website reads: ‘This advice is useful to everyone, however you use the water. It has helped save the lives of more than 50 people in all sorts of situations.
‘From children in rip currents to runners falling into canals, from people swept out by waves, to fishermen falling overboard.
‘The best way to float is to tilt your head back with your ears submerged. Try to relax and breathe normally. You can gently move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to.
‘Spread your arms and legs out to improve stability – and it’s OK if your legs sink, we all float differently. Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety. Practise floating in a supervised location like a swimming pool.’