A tragedy struck in North Carolina. A 7-year-old visiting Tar River in Franklinton fell into the river on March 17. Now, sadly, the young boy is missing.
He was playing near the water on Monday when he slipped and fell into the water. The North Carolina river was 12 to 15 feet deep and also 57 degrees. To make the situation worse, ABC 11 that the 7-year-old didn't know how to swim. The family reported that his sister tried to but failed to fish him out of the river.
They said, "Search crews from counties and state agencies across the region have completed 19 hours of difficult but systematic searching of the Tar River that has stretched 3 miles." They paused "to ensure the safety of responders and to allow for equipment to be refueled and have necessary maintenance performed."
Boy Falls In North Carolina River
Shirbartis Alston, a cousin of the boy, told WRAL News that the family was praying, "All I can say is it's praying time."
She added, "I want to say thank you to all the prayers and calls ... I can't get to everybody, but just know your prayers and calls are very much needed. We are still believing in God, we're still praying and hoping that everything is going to be alright. We're just speechless right now. We're numb, but we're still praying that God gives us favor — we're just praying that we can see his face again."
The search for the boy in the North Carolina river has reached a critical point.
"The amount of response that we have gotten - it's a testament on how the community comes out," a Franklin County EMS spokesperson said, per WRAL. "These guys out here doing the searches, they keep asking them, 'Do you need to stop?' And they keep saying, 'We can keep going.' "
Meanwhile, authorities say time is critical to find the boy in North Carolina.
"Time is valuable, especially in a missing persons case," Captain Josh Skelnik of the Youngsville Dive Team said, per ABC 11. "We have to hit it from every angle we can."
