Specialist teams are searching the River Soar in Leicester
By Will Jefford
BBC News, Leicester
A major search is continuing after a two-year-old boy fell into a river in Leicester.
Police said officers were called to the River Soar, in the Aylestone area, just after 17:00 GMT on Sunday.
Emergency services, including water rescue teams, went to the scene but were unable to locate the child, who was with his family at the time he fell in.
Additional specialist teams joined the search on Monday.
A man was also taken to hospital following the incident as a precautionary measure, Leicestershire Police added.
The force said the boy’s family was being supported by officers “at this extremely difficult time”.
Image source, PA Media
The boy was with his family when he entered the water
A 65-year-old nurse, who asked not to be named, was standing on a bridge over the river when she saw a man enter the water.
“I didn’t see the child fall in, but I heard shouting and at that point I didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
“I was running to tell the man to get out the water but because it was absolutely torrent last night.
“I saw the man disappear under the arch. Then I knew there was a child in the water and I tried to look myself.”
Sarah Gilbert, 44, who lives near Marsden Lane, said: “It was awful – everybody felt so sick. As a community we’re all feeling sick.”
At the scene
I’m at the scene in Aylestone, Leicester, where the search is continuing.
The search operation appears to be stationed at the Aylestone farm shop in Marsden Lane.
A specialist underwater search and rescue team from Nottingham arrived at about 09:00.
I also overheard that officers are going to be in touch with The Black Horse in Aylestone, which is around the corner, about setting up a base there.
Image source, PA Media
Search teams are looking in the River Soar, which has burst its banks
Sue Pyecroft was walking her dog in the area shortly after the boy fell in.
She said there was a “really powerful current” because the river was flooding, with water coming up to the edge of the path.
“It was quite distressing,” she said. “The river always floods. It almost becomes one river.
“It was very fast flowing, so it became quite dangerous.”
Image source, PA Media
Teams have been wading through water, which has flooded land next to the river
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