Girl critical after being pulled from the Columbia River at Richland park

A girl was in critical condition Friday afternoon after a swimming accident in the Columbia River in Richland.

The 12-year-old girl was with a group of friends and being supervised by an adult about 4:30 p.m She disappeared under the water after jumping off of the docks at Howard Amon Park without a life jacket, Sgt. Drew Florence said.

Her friends, adults, people in the area and the park ranger searched for her and called 911.

Richland police and fire were joined by boats from Benton and Franklin sheriff’s office in searching for her.

She was found in the water about five to seven minutes after disappearing. Emergency crews performed CPR, and took her to a hospital.

“We encourage people to remember that currents are strong and that even strong swimmers can get tired,” Florence said. “It’s a powerful thing when you have that much water moving in one direction.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 5:41 PM.