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 said officers were alerted to reports the girl had entered the river near Barge House Causeway, near London City Airport, at around 1.15pm on Monday.
Emergency services launched a “massive response” to the incident, police said, but further search operations were suspended, with the London Ambulance Service (LAS), London Fire Brigade (LFB) and RNLI all saying their crews had been withdrawn.
According to local residents, the child was playing near the water with a small boy and a girl.
Shaleen Rajayendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road, which leads to the causeway, told the PA news agency: “I heard someone shouting from upstairs: 'Wait, wait, the police are on their way'.”
The man, who was on the balcony of an apartment building overlooking the river, later told Ms Rajayendram that he had been drawn to the “screaming and yelling” of children, she said.
Ms Rajayendram continued: “Then I suddenly saw two children walking towards the top of the bridge and asked, ‘What happened?’
“They said, 'One of my friends was playing in the water, one of my friends went into the water and disappeared, and we can't find him.'”
The girl returned home and the boy informed Mrs. Rajayendram 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 was unable to 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 said that she found shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone near the river and handed them over to the police.
“She appeared to have been rowing so she had no socks, shoes or coat on and then 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 as this could affect him later.”
The Barge House Causeway is a concrete ramp that leads directly 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, near the airport.
“We have deployed resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, a frontline paramedic, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team,” a 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 dispatched to the scene.
“Within the framework
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
