The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Searchers find boy, two, dead in river
Rescue team recover tot’s body from water near Bridge of Cally
The hunt for a missing child ended in tragedy when a body was recovered from the River Ericht in Perthshire.
A huge search and rescue operation had been launched after reports that a two-year-old boy had gone missing from a house at Milton of Drimmie, near to Bridge of Cally. Within little more than an hour the search had ended in tragedy as the child’s body was lifted from the water a short distance from his home, where his family awaited news.
Paramedics battled to revive the youngster at the riverside as an air ambulance stood by to fly him to hospital but they were unable to save him. John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, expressed his sympathies, describing the loss as “heartbreaking”.
Emergency crews began the search for a missing two-year-old in hope that swiftly turned to horror.
Little more than an hour after beginning to scour the Perthshire countryside, water rescue teams returned, ashen faced, from the River Ericht.
They had recovered the body of a boy from the icy waters and medical intervention had failed to save his life.
A short distance away, in the small community of Milton of Drimmie near Bridge of Cally, his family waited for news.
They were last night being comforted by relatives and experienced police liaison officers and were too upset to speak.
Police Scotland were alerted to the developing tragedy shortly after 11am yesterday, deploying officers from across the region.
The police helicopter was scrambled and specialist assistance was requested from Scottish Fire and Rescue.
Water rescue teams and their launch were deployed on to the river, which flows through a steep glen behind a scattering of farms and homes.
A police cordon was thrown up around local roads, limiting access, as a huge number of emergency service vehicles built up.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance was also deployed to the scene to offer a swift journey to hospital if required.
Firefighters made their way down country paths to the waterside to begin scouring the area for the missing boy.
As they began, local roads echoed to the sound of sirens as assistance from other stations made its way to the quiet rural location, off a road usually seen only by local residents and walkers.
The frantic action soon slowed, however, and the police helicopter was called-off as the grim reality of what had happened sunk in.
Police Scotland later said the boy’s body had been found by emergency personnel around an hour and 20 minutes after the alarm was first raised.
A spokesman said: “We received a report of a two-year-old boy missing from a property in the Milton of Drimmie area and officers immediately launched a full search of the area.
“At around 12.35pm, the child was located in the River Ericht, close to the property.
“He was removed from the water by fire personnel and treated at the scene by paramedics, who had attended at the scene with the air ambulance. “Tragically, the boy did not survive.” News of the youngster’s death led to an outpouring of grief on social media, with people from across Perthshire offering condolences to his family.
John Swinney MSP expressed his sympathy, writing: “Heartbreaking news from the River Ericht at Bridge of Cally. My deepest sympathies to everyone involved.”