KEYSVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — UPDATE: Lori Meza, with Kern County Sheriff's Office reports that, "It is now a recovery and efforts will continue tomorrow."
It’s now day four in the search for a missing child who the Kern County Sheriff's Office says was swept away in the Kern River near Keysville Road. An adult family friend jumped into the river to help but was unable to save the child.
KCSO spokesperson Lori Meza says that several children went into the river in water that was knee-to-calf deep on Saturday while an adult family friend supervised. She says the child had been missing for about twenty minutes before KCSO was notified.
Meza adds that with warmer weather approaching having multiple adults around while near Kern River is important for rescue efforts.
“Last summer it was really common. It does happen every single summer. It’s not something that you ever really get used to. It’s devastating. So having multiple adults around, multiple capable adults who can swim, who can call, who can do these things that definitely helps.”
Meza encourages everyone who visits the Kern River -- whether you can swim or not -- to have flotation devices just in case adding that the best thing you can do is simply just stay out of the water.
“Prevention, water safety, these are all things that we talk about every year. We always tell people to make sure that you’re using personal floatation devices and truthfully the best way is to just stay out of the Kern River. Stay out stay alive isn’t on that sign for no reason at all.”
Meanwhile, the search for the missing child should resume Tuesday.
