Body of six-year-old boy swept away by currents during fishing trip with father found by rescuers
KENT, UK: A body has been found in the search for missing six-year-old schoolboy Lucas Dobson. Dobson was swept away by strong currents in River Stour over the weekend and disappeared at 1.20 pm on August 17.
Hundreds of volunteers joined in with rescue workers to help search for the child. The Kent Police confirmed this morning that they had found a body and revealed that Dobson's family was absolutely devastated. Dobson was trying to climb onto a boat when he was on a fishing trip when he slipped and fell into the water. His father Nathan and two others jumped in to try and save him but the current was just too strong for any help to be given to Lucas.
The authorities have not yet confirmed whether the body found was that of Lucas' though the family has been informed. As reported by Mirror, Chief Inspector Mark Weller of Kent Police said, "This is a deeply tragic and upsetting incident for all concerned and Lucas’ family are understandably devastated. We were inundated with offers of assistance from members of the public, who turned out in large numbers to help search for Lucas." Mark Weller also added that he would like to offer his thanks to all those who had helped in the search.
He also added that he would like to thank their partners from Kent Fire and Rescue Service, HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Lucas' death is not being treated as suspicious. Before the discovery of the body, Lucas' aunt Maciee Stanford shared that he was with his father and father's friends. The incident took place when Lucas tried to step onto the boat from the jetty but fell into a small gap in between. "As soon as he fell, the three adults jumped in after but the current was too strong and he had already gone in the short amount of time," Standford shared.
Kent's Search and Rescue service took to Facebook to share that their thoughts were with Lucas' family, friends, and community. "We continue to be extremely thankful for all the support we have received during this difficult search," they shared.