- Girl goes under the Elbe - hours of searching unsuccessfully
In Hamburg-Blankenese, a 10-year-old girl drowned in the Elbe river in front of her parents in the afternoon. Rescue services searched for hours for the child, refusing to give up hope. "This is a particularly harrowing operation for us," said a fire department spokesperson. The parents were cared for by emergency chaplains.
Around 8:50 PM, the search was called off. The spokesperson estimated that it would not resume on Friday. They had to assume that the child had drowned. "We are all deeply affected."
A rescue helicopter circled over the Elbe.
The police were alerted shortly before 4:00 PM. They were told that a child was in danger of drowning in the Elbe. Around 50 personnel searched the area around the incident site at the Falkensteiner Ufer, according to the fire department. Due to the current of the Elbe, the search radius was expanded, the spokesperson said. Firefighters and the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) were on the scene with boats, and divers were also searching for the child. Helicopters were circling over the Elbe, and drones and a special sonar boat were also in use.
Firefighters from the DLRG joined the effort to locate the missing child, utilizing their expertise in firefighting and water rescues. Despite the extensive search, the grim reality of firefighting in such a situation was evident, as hope gradually dwindled.
