I’m A body has been discovered amid a major search for a 13-year-old schoolgirl who fell into a reservoir while out walking with her father near Ripponden, West Yorkshire.
Emergency services were called to Baitings Dam at 1:17 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28. Police, fire, and ambulance teams worked at the scene, but the girl remained missing throughout the day. Underwater search teams resumed their efforts on Thursday, May 29.
The teenager, from Halifax, was taking a selfie with her father when she fell over a parapet into the 140-foot-deep reservoir. Witnesses reported that there was a 30-foot drop from where she was standing into the water.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed a body was found on Thursday afternoon, though formal identification has not yet been completed. The girl’s family has been informed and is receiving support from specially trained officers.
Detective Inspector Laura Hall of Calderdale’s Safeguarding Team said, “While formal identification is pending, our thoughts are with the family and friends during this very sad time. Our inquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident, which is not being treated as suspicious.”
Witnesses recalled the father being taken away in an ambulance after clutching his chest and shouting his daughter’s name in distress.
Local resident Sue Ferris, who witnessed the tragedy, criticized the lack of safety measures at the site. “The girl was posing for photos when she fell. There are no life buoy rings on the parapet. The white metal railings added some years ago only add about half a foot to the barrier height and actually make it easier for people to climb onto the wall,” she told The Sun.
Mrs. Ferris also spoke with the family, who shared that the girl had just started grammar school and was described as having a bright future. The walk around the reservoir was a half-term activity between father and daughter, with the rest of the family arriving after the accident.
The father reportedly did not enter the water to help due to a heart condition and was immediately taken to hospital.
Police search efforts continued into the evening on Wednesday and resumed on Thursday with marine and underwater teams.
