MENTONE, Calif. (KABC) — A 4-year-old girl and her 2-year-old brother died Tuesday when they were swept into a river while out with their mother in San Bernardino County, authorities said.
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. at Mill Creek near the Thurman Flats Picnic Area on Highway 38 outside Mentone.
The mother was caring for her son when the daughter was taken downstream, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.
“The mother was searched but could not be found,” the sheriff's department said in a statement. “When she returned, her son was missing and was thought to have gone down the river as well.”
The mother then hiked to a picnic area and called another family for help, but the children were never found.
Authorities said it took the mother about an hour to call 911 because cell phone service was limited in the area.
Yucaipa Department deputies, Sheriff's Air Rescue, Mentone County Fire personnel, U.S. Forest Service rescue personnel, and SBCSD search and rescue personnel worked together in the search.
Crews first found the girl and rushed her to a local hospital. Shortly after, they found the boy. Both men were found near the edge of the river, authorities said.
The girl was taken by ambulance to Redlands Community Hospital, and the boy was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center.
They were pronounced dead later in the evening.
This incident is still under investigation.
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