A SIX-YEAR-OLD Bendigo boy on holiday near Koondrook was swept into the Murray River at the weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police were called to a campsite on Gunbower Island about 2.30pm on Saturday after the boy disappeared while swimming.
Chief Inspector Michael Tranby, the Deniliquin local area commander, said the boy had been swimming with six other children when they started to drift downstream.
“There were two families from Bendigo in Victoria that were camping in Gunbower Island forest at Koondrook, just on the Victorian side of the border on the Murray River,” he said.
“Between them, there were seven children.
“They got in trouble with the current and four swam to the bank. The three others were struggling and adults entered the water and were able to rescue two of them, but a six-year-old boy went under the water and he did not resurface.”
Police and emergency services and members of the public immediately started searching for the boy.
“Divers from NSW ... were at Wagga at the time and they came across from Wagga to Barham and they commenced a search of the water about 9pm (Saturday) night,” Chief Inspector Tranby said.
He said the search was suspended about 10.30pm.
“We recommenced the search (Sunday) morning at 8am with SES and police divers searching both in the water and along the banks.”
The boy had still not been found on Sunday afternoon.