Locals near the scene said the 11-year-old girl, who went missing after entering the River Thames, was rowing on a day off.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they were informed the girl had entered the river near Barge House Causeway, near London City Airport, at around 1.15pm on Monday.
Police said emergency services launched a “massive response” to the incident, but the scope of the search operation was later scaled back, with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the RNLI all saying their crews had been withdrawn.
Residents of the area noted that the child was playing near the water with a small boy and a girl.
Shaleen Rajayendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road leading to the causeway, told the PA news agency: “I heard someone shouting from upstairs: 'Wait there, wait, the police are coming'.”
The man was on the balcony of an apartment building overlooking the river and later told Ms Rajayendram that he had been attracted by the “screams and shouts” of the children, she added.
Ms Rajayendram continued: “Then I suddenly saw two children climbing onto the bridge and asked, ‘What happened?’
“They said, 'One of my friends was playing in the water and he went under and we can't find him.'”
The girl returned home and the boy told Mrs. Rajayendram exactly where the incident took place.
Ms Rajayendram then called her neighbour, 62-year-old Kerry Benajaud, who went down to the water with a life preserver but did not find the girl.
The man said he had called the police, Ms Benajaoud told the PA news agency, adding: “But he said he saw her (the girl's) hands going down at that moment. So when I came down with the ring, I couldn't find her.”
A resident of the area mentioned that she found shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone near the river and handed all of this over to the police.
“It looks like she was rowing so she didn't have socks, shoes or a coat on and then she probably slipped and drowned,” she added.
Ms Benajaud said the boy who was with the girl was about eight or nine years old.
She told PA: 'The little boy turned around and said: 'I tried to hold her hand but she slipped away.'
“I told the boy's parents that he obviously needed to talk to someone because this would affect him in the future.”
The Barge House Causeway is a concrete ramp that runs right down to the River Thames and is used to transport boats. Locals have noted that it is covered in moss and slippery.
The girl's next of kin have been notified and are receiving support from officers.
At the same time, police were called to LAS following reports of a man in the water in the Lowestoft Mews area, close to the airport.
“We have deployed resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, lead paramedic, incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team,” the spokesman said.
“Our crews assisted our emergency services partners at the scene but were later withdrawn.”
LFB Deputy Assistant Commissioner Joseph Kenny said: “Firefighters responded to reports of a man in the River Thames near Lowestoft Mews, Newham.
“Crews from East Ham, Barking, Ilford and Bexley fire stations, as well as crews from Her Majesty's Coastguard, RNLI, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police were sent to the scene.
“As part of the response, a group of drones and
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
