15-year-old girl dies after getting into difficulty in water in Tameside

A teenage girl has tragically died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a body of water in a Tameside village.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that it received reports that a person had gotten into difficulty in the water in the Tameside village of Broadbottom just before 8pm yesterday (14 June), and officers, along with accompanying emergency services, attended the scene at Hodge Lane – which is a small road that runs close to the River Etherow.

A search operation was subsequently launched – with incident response, water incident, and technical response units all in attendance.

GMP and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) carried out a search of water nearby and were said to have remained stationed along Mottram Road and Moss Lane for a number of hours, before leaving the scene at around 11pm.

Although the person – a 15-year-old girl – was able to be retrieved from the water, she was sadly pronounced dead a short while after, despite the best efforts of paramedics.

Police have described the situation as “nothing short of devastating”.

In a statement issued last night, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Boyce – from GMP’s Tameside CID – said enquiries are now ongoing, but investigators were “confident there aren’t any suspicious circumstances”.

Her statement reads: “Yesterday evening’s events are nothing short of devastating, and my deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of the girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances.

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“Officers will continue to support the family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons