Girl, 5, dies after river plunge

The river was fast-flowing after 30mm (1.2in) of rain fell in 24 hours

A five-year-old girl has died after falling into a river in north Cornwall.

A major search began after the girl, who was from Holsworthy, Devon, fell into the River Stratt at Stratton, near Bude, at about 1240 BST.

Coastguards, helicopters and the RNLI were involved in the search and the girl was lifted from the river just before 1430 BST.

She was flown by helicopter to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where she later died.

The river was swollen, muddy and visibility was very poor Peter Robinson, Cornwall Fire Brigade

A police spokesman said the coroner had been informed.

The rivers Neet and Stratt converge just outside Stratton.

The girl had been walking the dog with her family when she was caught in a "massive downpour" and swept downstream.

After a two-hour search, she was pulled from the river about 250m (820ft) downstream from Howell's Bridge car park in Stratton.

A woman and another child were treated for shock at the scene, the South Western Ambulance Service Trust said.

The Environment Agency said there had been about 30mm (1.2in) of rain in the area in the past 24 hours and the river was fast-flowing.

Peter Robinson from Bodmin Fire Station, who helped search the riverbank, said conditions were difficult.

The girl was pulled from the river about 250m from the local car park

"The river was swollen, muddy and visibility was very poor," he told BBC News.

Acting Insp Anthony Grigg, Devon and Cornwall Police's critical incident manager, said there had been a "fantastic" response from emergency services during the search.

"Ambulance, fire, police, RNLI, coastguards - a wide range of people all turned up," he said.

"We also had a number of offers of assistance from the public, for which we were extremely grateful."