Global Courant 2023-05-24 00:59:18
The bodies of an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were found within 24 hours of each other in Fresno County’s fast-flowing Kings River.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the girl was first discovered — on Sunday afternoon, less than an hour after rescuers began their search. Her brother’s body was spotted two miles downstream on Monday morning and pinned against a tree.
About 40 search and rescue crew members, including Cal Fire/Fresno County members and Fresno firefighters, assisted in the search, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said in a statement. Riverboats, a remote-controlled vehicle, drones and helicopters were used in the search.
The effort began Sunday afternoon after the two siblings, their mother and an adult friend went swimming near Pine Flat Dam in Piedra shortly before 2 p.m.
They entered the Kings River despite signs along the estuary saying the area was closed, authorities said. Visitors had been banned since March 14 due to “high water levels” and “dangerous conditions” from severe winter storms and melting snow, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The four tried to reach a rock while fording the river, but the children were swept away. Neither child was wearing a life preserver.
A sheriff’s helicopter spotted the drowned girl shortly after the search began. Less than 24 hours later, her brother was also found.
Zanoni made no conditions for the mother or family friend.
In the press release, Zanoni noted that the river remains treacherous and there is no timetable for its opening.
“The condition of our waterways will only get more dangerous towards summer as the snow melts and dams pour even more water into the rivers,” he said. “The water stays cold, in the low 50s, the current is fast and trees serve as dangerous obstacles.”
