10-year-old girl found dead in pipe after falling into irrigation pond, WA officials say

A family vacation turned deadly when a 10-year-old girl drowned in an irrigation pond Monday night, according to Washington officials.

The girl was vacationing with her family and playing with other children when she slipped and fell into a 3-acre pond near the city of George, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. George is located around 70 miles northwest of Tri-Cities.

Authorities were alerted and firefighters joined the family and others in looking for the girl in the pond for over an hour, officials said.

Firefighters then disassembled the flange joint from a siphon pipe, believing the girl could’ve been drawn into the siphon, according to authorities. The girl’s body was found inside and recovered around 10:45 p.m.

Coroner Craig Morrison’s staff will conduct an autopsy of the child’s body. Authorities said the death is believed to be an accident.

This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 12:50 PM.