Two young children died Tuesday, May 7 after being swept away by a river while playing with their mother in a California picnic area, authorities said.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, a mother took her children, ages 2 and 4, to the Thurman Flats Picnic area near Mill Creek to play at around 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Knewz.com has learned.
They were playing near the creek "with rapid water moving downstream."
At around 3 p.m., the mother was tending to her son, 2, when her daughter, 4, was swept downstream. The mother searched for the girl cut could not find her, and when she returned, her son was missing.
The mother searched "frantically" before hiking up to the picnic area and asking another family to help her search for the children.
At around 4 p.m., deputies, Sheriff’s Air Rescue, Mentone Station County Fire personnel, U.S. Forest Service Rescue Crew and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue all joined the search for the missing children.
The girl was found at around 4:39 p.m., and the boy was found at around 5:04 p.m., both near the edge of the river. They were both transported to hospitals, and after "extensive lifesaving measures," they were pronounced dead.
The sheriff's department is investigating, and is asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward or submit an anonymous tip.
—TMX contributed to this report.