Two girls rescued ‘unharmed but extremely cold’ from frozen part of River Trent

Two 11-year-old girls have escaped “unharmed but extremely cold” after becoming trapped on a frozen part of the River Trent.

One of the girls had fallen through the ice into the freezing water on Saturday afternoon and the other was stranded on an island, Nottinghamshire Police said.

A passer-by called for help and a rescue mission was launched by police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service

The first girl was helped out of the water but an inflatable piece of equipment called a pathway was needed to bring the other girl to safety.

The girls were “unharmed but extremely cold”, police said.

Nottinghamshire Police Chief Inspector Duncan Southall added: “The girls are extremely lucky to have been unharmed.

“Luckily a passer-by saw them in difficulty and called the emergency services.

“If it hadn’t been for this person raising the alarm there could have been tragic consequences. It was getting dark at the time and was freezing cold. They are incredibly lucky this person saw them.

“I hope this serves as a stark reminder to others that it is not safe to play on the ice as it can easily crack and put people in great danger. Icy water can be incredibly dangerous.”

Elsewhere on the River Trent, two bodies were removed from a submerged car following a mission by police divers on Saturday.

According to Nottinghamshire Police, there were reports of a car leaving the road and entering the water on Monday 1 February.

An operation to recover the people from the vehicle was not launched until this weekend due to poor conditions.

Inspector Tim Ringer said: “Underwater recoveries of this nature are always very challenging, but our divers’ work has been further complicated by the very fast flowing water at the site. It was simply not safe to attempt this work before today.”

Police say they believe they know who the two occupants were, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

The two girls rescued on Saturday were just a few hundred metres from where Owen Jenkins died trying to rescue two friends from the water at Beeston Weir in 2017.

The 12-year-old’s mother Nicola founded the Open Water Education Network safety programme in his memory.

She said: “When it comes to ice children don’t seem to see the danger. They just think it is a bit of fun.

“A lot of the ice looks thick but it isn’t. Where the water is shallow it can be thick but when it gets deeper it is thin and that’s where the difficulty lies and you can become stranded. It is best to stay away – it is not worth the risk.

“Parents need to be more open with their children and explain the dangers of open water and ice in cold weather.”

(c) Sky News 2021: Two girls rescued ‘unharmed but extremely cold’ from frozen part of River Trent