A MISSING schoolgirl who disappeared into the River Thames has been named by cops.
Kaliyah Coa, 11, vanished into the water while paddling with a friend near Woolwich, London, on Monday afternoon.
The youngster, of Beckton, had been staying with pals during an inset day, having celebrated her birthday the week before.
It’s understood she took off her shoes to paddle in the water – but slipped and fell before being swept away by the current.
A relative told The Sun: “It was her birthday last week, she had only just turned 11.
“She was a beautiful bubbly girl, a very happy girl and lovely girl.”
Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who resides on Barge House Road leading to the causeway, described hearing a boy the little girl was with “shouting and screaming” as his pal vanished.
“I heard upstairs a guy was screaming ‘wait there, wait, the police is coming’,” she said.
“Then I saw suddenly two kids were coming out to the top of the bridge, I said ‘what happened?’
“They said ‘one of my friends was playing in the water, one of my friends has gone into water and she’s gone underneath and we can’t find her.”
An emergency response was immediately launched, with multiple search and rescue teams dispatched.
Met Police, however, have now said a recovery operation is underway “to find Kaliyah along the Thames”.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Frantic hunt for schoolgirl, 11, ‘who fell in River Thames’ as cop helicopter & coastguard join search” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370833287112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Issuing a statement on Tuesday night, Chief Superintendent Dan Card, local policing commander for north east London, said: “Our specialist officers are supporting Kaliyah’s family through this deeply upsetting time and our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.
“We are committed to finding Kaliyah and are working with partners to conduct a thorough search over a wide area – utilising drone technology and boats.”
Eyewitness Eva, 33, said she warned the kids against going in the water before the dramatic events unfolded before her.
She told The Sun: “I shouted at them to warn them not to go in the water.
“Five minutes later I could hear shouting and screaming.”
Speaking of Kaliyah’s pal, she added: “I saw his hand trying to pull her, but the water was too strong for her.
“I’m really heartbroken, I couldn’t sleep last night, I just thought of the parents.
“I have two kids of my own I can’t even imagine what they’re going through.”
Cops responded to reports of a child falling into the river at Barge House Causeway at 1.15pm.
Police boats could be seen scouring the river again on Tuesday morning at around 11am.
‘DANGER’ ZONE
Residents have slammed the “dangerous” causeway, which is not gated off and does not have a nearby life ring.
And another neighbour told The Sun: “We’ve had lots of close calls here in the past.
“Most of the children here know not to go down to the water because it’s so dangerous.
“But because she wasn’t local, she wouldn’t have been aware of the risks.
“The council need to do something about it.
“When one of our neighbours rushed out to help, she had to run further down the path to grab a life ring.
“By the time she got back it was far too late. That is not right.”
One resident who lives near to where the girl disappeared told The Sun on Monday: “So what we understand is the girl was playing down by the water.
“She was with two other kids. Obviously we were thinking, why aren’t they in school? But I think a lot of schools are off for Eid.
“The little boy was holding her hand to help her step in the water but obviously she slipped, because it’s really slippy.
“As soon as she fell she was gone. She just disappeared into the tide. The boy came running to one of my neighbours for help but it was too late.
“While the other kid — a little girl — went running to get a donut. All of us rushed out but it’s freezing in there.
“You should have seen it here an hour ago. There were three helicopters, at least five ambulances.
“The road was full. It’s in police hands now but we know what they’re like, they don’t do anything.”
Issuing a statement on Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Police were alerted at 13:23hrs on Monday, 31 March after Kaliyah, who had been playing during a school inset day, entered the water near Barge House Causeway, E16.
“Emergency service crews attended the scene within minutes and conducted a large-scale search in an effort to locate her.”
The operation involved the Coast Guard, Border Force vessels, and a search and rescue helicopter.
Meanwhile, panicked neighbours were forced to watch on as the desperate scenes unfolded.
Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, said: “My neighbour next door, she was outside doing her garden and there was two little kids running, and they said ‘my friend’s in the water’.”
The neighbour called Ms Benadjaoud, who said she then went to pick up a nearby life ring.
The two women live on a residential street that leads onto Barge House Causeway, which is a concrete slope that goes directly into the River Thames.
A man told Ms Benadjaoud that he had called the police, she said, adding: “But he said at the time he could see her (the girl’s) hands going down.
“So, by the time I got down there with the ring I couldn’t find her.”
Ms Benadjaoud said she found shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone near the river, and handed the items to the police.
The girl had been playing with other children before falling in, people who live nearby claimed.
Ms Benadjaoud continued: “A little boy turned around and said ‘I tried to hold her hand but it slipped’.
“I said to the little boy’s parents obviously he needs to see someone because it’s going to affect him later.
“Apparently she was paddling, so her socks and shoes were off, her coat, then she must have slipped and gone down.”
Despite the extensive efforts, there has been no confirmation of any recovery at this time.
Chief Superintendent Dan Card said: “I’d like to thank the members of public, our first responding officers, and colleagues from other emergency services, as they responded rapidly to carry out a large-scale search during a highly pressurised and distressing time.
“Equally we appreciate this has affected the wider community who have been extremely supportive. You will see extra officers in the area during the coming days – if you have any concerns then please speak to them.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Joseph Kenny added: “Firefighters responded to reports of a person in the River Thames near Lowestoft Mews, Newham.
“Crews from East Ham, Barking, Ilford and Bexley fire stations were sent to the scene alongside crews from the HM Coastguard, RNLI, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police Service. The Brigade also deployed its drone team and fire boat as part of its response, with crews carrying out a systematic search of the area.
“The Brigade was first called about the incident at 1323. Search operations for firefighters were concluded at 1549, when responsibility for the incident was left with the police.”
The Sun has reached out to HM Coastguard for a comment.
Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact police on 101, quoting 3699/31Mar. If it is an emergency, dial 999.
