Rescuers are ‘pulling out all the stops’ to find missing six-year-old Lucas Dobson as the search enters its third day.
Lucas fell into the River Stour during a fishing trip after trying to step from the jetty on to a boat at 1.30pm on Saturday.
His father Nathan and two friends jumped into the fast-flowing river in Sandwich, Kent, to save him but the current was too strong and they were unable to find him.
Volunteers and staff from six forces including HM Coastguard, Kent Search and Rescue, Kent Fire and Rescue, Kent Police, the Red Cross, and Specialist Group International all continue to help the search.
A police officer enters a section of the River Stour as the search for missing six-year-old Lucas Dobson continues
Kent Police officers from the search and marine unit scour a section of the River Stour
Search teams are still scouring the river for Lucas as the hunt enters its third day
Police marine officers arrive at a section of the River Stour as the search for the missing six-year-old
Lucas Dobson, six, fell into the water at 1.20pm on Saturday while on a ‘family fishing trip’
Leading the diving operation, Specialist Group International boss Peter Faulding refuted reports the search had been scaled down.
Speaking from the search boat, Mr Faulding, said: ‘The search has not been scaled back.
‘This is a massive operation and team effort involving multiple emergency services units.
‘We are working full out, everyone is pulling the stops out to find this little boy.
‘We have people on canoes searching the reeds and divers scouring the river.
Members of the public gather today to volunteer in the search for the missing six-year-old
Kent Police officers from the search and marine unit scour through reeds in a section of the River Stour
‘The search is very challenging because divers are up against strong tides, reeds and a muddy river bed.’
A sonar team is now scanning the water with a diver poised to investigate any ‘anomalies’ in the riverbed.
Mr Faulding said support from the boy’s family and local volunteers has been ‘unbelievable.’
He added: ‘I would like to thank the family and the volunteers for all their support.
‘They are so important in a search like this.
Police have searched the surrounding riverbeds as well as the scrapyard near to where he fell in
The River Stour is a 47 miles long river in Kent. This shows the spot where Lucas disappeared
‘The boy’s family have been bringing us food and drinks.
‘I have been blown away. It really is incredible.’
Speaking yesterday, Superintendent Amanda Tillotson from Kent Police said more than 100 members of the emergency services and some 200 volunteers have been taking part in what she said is a ‘massive operation’.
She said: ‘I’ve just come from speaking to the family myself, and they wish to pass on their absolute gratitude for everybody, and they’re overwhelmed at the amount of people that have come out to help and search for Lucas.’
Asked how likely a positive outcome is, she said: ‘Obviously as time has gone on now I think it is unlikely, unfortunately.
His father Nathan, above in his boat, and two other men dived into the water in a desperate bid to rescue the boy – but Lucas was swept away by the strong current
Lucas plunged into the water in Sandwich at around 1.20pm on Saturday and his father jumped in shortly afterwards
‘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.’
She said the search team was working hard ‘to bring a quick resolution and find Lucas as quickly as we can for the family’, adding: ‘This is an awful, tragic incident.’
Maciee Stanford, Lucas’s aunt told Kent Online: ‘He was with his Dad and his Dad’s friends along with other children.
‘The incident happened because our Lucas was on the jetty and tried to step from there onto the boat but he fell in between the jetty and the boat.
‘As soon as he fell, the three adults jumped in after but the current was too strong; he had already gone. In the short amount of time he could not be found. The current was so strong the three men could barely swim in it.
‘They fish and do this regularly as it is behind one of the men’s houses – all the children play together here.’
A spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue service said today: ‘Specialist and experienced search and rescue teams have resumed the search for 6-year-old Lucas Dobson this morning.’
