Lucas Dobson: Boy, 6, who fell into river ‘unlikely’ to be found alive

A six-year-old boy swept away after falling into a river in Kent is “unlikely” to be found alive, the police officer leading the search has said.

Sonar equipment is being used to look for Lucas Dobson after he slipped into the River Stour on Saturday during a fishing trip with family.

Members of the public have joined search-and-rescue teams to scour river banks and waterways in Sandwich.

Superintendent Amanda Tillotson from Kent Police said more than 100 emergency services staff and 200 volunteers had been taking part.

Asked how likely a positive outcome is, she said: “Obviously as time has gone on now I think it is unlikely, unfortunately.

“But, we will continue to search and obviously I would like to have a positive outcome, I would like to find Lucas, we are getting increasingly concerned with the amount of time that is going on now.

“But it is really important that we continue to search for Lucas and continue to do that for the family, and my heart goes out to them, it really does.”

Lucas’s aunt said his father had jumped in after the boy fell between a jetty and a boat but “the current was too strong, he had already gone”.

“He was with his dad and his dad’s friends along with other children,” Maciee Stanford, 18, told the Mirror online.

“The incident happened because our Lucas was on the jetty and tried to step from there on to the boat but he fell in between the jetty and the boat.

“As soon as he fell the three adults jumped in after (him) but the current was too strong, he had already gone in the short amount of time he could not be found.

“They fish and do this regularly as it is behind one of the men’s houses, all the children play together here.”

Officers on a search boat with sonar equipment are searching through thick vegetation which flanks much of the river.

A Facebook page called Search For Lucas said he was wearing a black and red striped T-shirt with white shorts.

Volunteers were warned about their own safety and told by police to stay away from the water’s edge, work in groups, and make sure they had phones.

A drone, helicopter, and a search and rescue dog named Buzz have been used in the search.

Emergency services say they have been “inundated with offers of support” and held a briefing this morning to agree a search plan.

They have also asked that anyone not at the briefing stays away for safety reasons.

The waterways have been closed off from boats and canoes “to allow the water to remain as still as possible and to enable the search and rescue teams to carry out their work”.

Anyone who wishes to report any details regarding the incident should call Kent Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

(c) Sky News 2019: Lucas Dobson: Boy, 6, who fell into river ‘unlikely’ to be found alive