Girl, 15, dies in River Etherow in ‘devastating’ incident near Manchester

Medical team unable to save teenager in ‘devastating’ incident

Image shows River Etherow that passes through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester (Google Maps)

A 15-year-old girl died after getting into difficulty in water in Tameside, Manchester, after emergency workers struggled to locate her following the conclusion of an annual duck race.

Greater Manchester police said the girl was found in the River Etherow after a search near Hodge Lane, Broadbottom, on Wednesday evening.

A medical team was unable to save her in what was described as a “devastating” incident, police said.

“Yesterday evening’s events are nothing short of devasting and my deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of the girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances,” detective superintendent Rebecca Boyce said.

“Officers will continue to support the family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Police were called to search for the girl at around 7.50pm on Wednesday and had scrambled a huge response operation.

They were assisted by ambulance crews and the fire and rescue service.

Detectives from Tameside CID said they “are confident there aren’t any suspicious circumstances” and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

The incident happened sometime after an annual duck race concluded, unidentified sources told the Daily Mail.

Emergency workers struggled to locate the girl at first and left the scene at around 11pm.

“At approximately 7.50pm this evening firefighters were called to assist Greater Manchester Police at an incident on Hodge Lane,” a spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said.

“Fire engines from Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge and Hyde stations along with the Water Incident Unit, and Technical Response Unit responded quickly and attended the scene.”

The Broadbottom Duck Race is a supervised fundraiser event that involves competitors releasing plastic ducks into the water for a race.

According to the National Fire Chiefs Council, there were 226 incidents of accidental drowning deaths in 2022. Most of them occurred during the summer months of June, July and August.