Eel River east of Covelo, Calif. (Google image)
A 5-year-old child died after being swept into a river near Covelo on Saturday, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said.
The disappearance was reported around 8:25 p.m. July 1 in the area of the Eel River Campground, at the confluence of the Eel and Black Butte rivers.
As emergency crews were dispatched, the child was found by people downriver, who began resuscitation efforts. Those efforts were continued in an ambulance, but the child died.
At least 19 people have drowned or gone missing in California rivers since mid-April, as water has been running high and cold during the melt of the snowpack.
Originally published at Bay Area News Group