Girl lost in river

By CHRISTINE OLLEY Philadelphia Daily News
olleyc@phillynews.com 215-854-5184
TRAGEDY STRUCK in Southwest Philadelphia last night when a 9-year-old girl playing with friends was pushed into the Schuylkill, police said.
According to Lt. John Walker, of Southwest Detectives, the girl was playing with a group of friends at about 8 p.m. on the riverbank near 56th Street and Harley Drive, behind the Bartram Village housing project. She was holding onto the dock when a boy jokingly pushed her in, Walker said.
“The currents were so fast that she panicked because she couldn’t swim,” Walker said.
Two of the girl’s friends tried to grab her but were unable to hold on, Walker said.
The children ran up the street, where they flagged down two highway patrol officers, who initiated a search.
“We were in the water by about 8 o’clock, and have been searching for about two hours and have not been able to locate the child,” Walker said at about 10 p.m.“It was probably just a hot day and they wanted to go down to the water and play, not realizing the true dangers of the water,” he said.