8-Year-Old Girl Found Dead, Younger Brother Still Missing After Being Swept Away In California River

An 8-year-old girl lost her life after she and her four-year-old brother were swept away in a central California river. Officials are still on the lookout for the 4-year-old boy.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about the children going missing in the Kings River near Pine Flat Dam on Sunday afternoon, CBS News reported. The two siblings were accompanied by their mother and an adult friend during their visit to the Kings River, which was swollen with rapidly melting mountain snow.

The adults and kids entered the water off the shoreline about a mile down from the dam and were trying to climb a rock when the kids were carried away by the fast-moving current, YourCentralValley.com reported.

"There was a family gathering of some sort and we do know when we got the call there was a family there... Two children did end up in the water one eight-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy," said Lt. Brandon Pursell with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies found the girl about an hour after she was swept away. The exact cause of death was not revealed.

"We put two boats in the water and we had numerous swift water rescue personnel on scene we did unfortunately recover the female deceased underwater," Pursell added.

The search for the 4-year-old boy is still going on, and officers say they will use every resource at their disposal to find the missing child.

"We're gonna keep searching, we're not going to give up, we're hopeful but with the river being what it is it's not a great chance we will have rescue personnel out till sundown tonight," Pursell said Sunday.

The incident comes just about two months after the Kings and San Joaquin rivers were closed for recreational purposes.

The Kings River has been closed since March 14, and the water is currently icy and cold due to the melting snow, Pursell said. He also noted that the water is flowing at 13,000 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS), posing dangerous conditions even for adults.

Pursell said Sunday's tragic incident was "100% preventable."

"This is exactly why we tell people to stay out of the water. You should really have common sense, you should not have children anywhere near this water today under any circumstance," the officer said.

The sheriff's office said visitors could face a fine of at least $225 or be slapped with charges if they violate the order.

"We're gonna cite you at a minimum if you have children that you're allowing in that water we're gonna look at child endangerment charges and child neglect charges," Pursell added.