A child has died after being pulled out of open water at London’s Royal Victoria Dock on Monday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to reports of a child in the water on Silvertown Way at 4.17pm, the Metropolitan Police said.
A boy, who is believed to be 13, was recovered from the water by first responders, and first aid was subsequently performed but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police confirmed.
His next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by specialist officers.
A police investigation is underway, the conclusion of which will be passed to the coroner. At this stage there is nothing to suggest the involvement of a third party, police stated.
There were no other individuals reported in the water or other reported injuries, the force added.
Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, who leads public protection in north east London, said: “Our thoughts remain with the boy’s family and loved ones as they come to terms with this tragedy. We kindly ask that their privacy is respected.
“We also make a plea to the public to avoid speculation and refrain from sharing distressing material online out of respect for the family and to preserve the investigation.
“Our sincere thanks go to the emergency services and partner agencies involved in the search-and-recovery efforts this evening, as well as members of the public who offered assistance and support.
“This incident is now being investigated on behalf of the coroner and inquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 4.07pm on Monday June 29 to reports of a person in the water at Dock Road, Silvertown.
“We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
“Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The death of the boy brings the number of people who have died in water-related incidents during the recent hot weather to nine, and is in addition to the 15 who died during the spell of extremely warm weather in May.
On Monday, Greater Manchester Police said the body of a 15-year-old boy had been recovered from open water in Clifton Country Park in Swinton on Saturday.
