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The family of six – a mother and father and their four children – fished from Deere Island in the Merimac River.
A state police boat and a fire boat in Newburyport are looking for a 6-year-old child lost on the Merimac River near Deere Island in Amesbury. David L. Ryan / Globe Staff
From the Associated Press
updated 11 June 2022 | 14:52
NEWBORPORT, Massachusetts (AP) – Family fishing by a river in Massachusetts ended in tragedy with a dead mother and her 6-year-old son missing, authorities said.
The family of six – a mother and father and their four children – were fishing from Deere Island in the Merimac River when shortly after 7pm on Thursday two of the children entered the water, Newburyport Fire and Police officials said in a statement.
The mother, identified by police on Saturday afternoon as Boua DeChhat, entered the water to pick up the children, and with the help of a good Samaritan fishing boat captain who saw the family in distress, a 7-year-old girl was rescued, authorities said .
But DeChhat did not respond, and after life-saving efforts were made at the scene, she was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Rescuers were unable to find the 6-year-old boy identified by police on Saturday afternoon as Mas DeChhat. All other family members are reported.
Local, state and federal agencies searched the night, and about 10 divers with the Massachusetts State Police Diving Team re-entered the water Friday morning with specialized equipment to continue the search for the boy. The Coast Guard stopped the search at 5 p.m.
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A fundraising campaign has been set up for the families of drowning victims
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