Specialist divers and volunteers continue to look for six-year-old who fell into Kent river

A six-year-old boy who was swept away after falling into a river is unlikely to be found alive, the police officer leading the search has said. Lucas Dobson slipped into the river Stour in Sandwich, Kent, on Saturday afternoon while on a fishing trip with family members.

Supt Amanda Tillotson of Kent police said more than 100 members of the emergency services and about 200 volunteers had been taking part in what she said was a “massive operation”.

She said: “I’ve just come from speaking to the family myself, and they wish to pass on their absolute gratitude for everybody, and they’re overwhelmed at the amount of people that have come out to help and search for Lucas.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A member of Kent search and rescue searches a section of the River Stour for missing six-year-old Lucas Dobson. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Asked how likely a positive outcome was, she told PA Media: “Obviously, as time has gone on now I think it is unlikely, unfortunately.

“But we will continue to search and obviously I would like to have a positive outcome, I would like to find Lucas. We are getting increasingly concerned with the amount of time that is going on now.

“But it is really important that we continue to search for Lucas and continue to do that for the family, and my heart goes out to them, it really does.”

She said the search team was working hard “to bring a quick resolution and find Lucas as quickly as we can for the family”, adding: “This is an awful, tragic incident.”

Experienced search teams will continue rescue efforts until darkness stops them at around 10pm on Sunday, before resuming at first light on Monday morning, Kent fire and rescue service (KFRS) said.

Tillotson said dive units were still searching the river, along with specialists from other agencies, and that the focus of efforts was near where the incident happened.

Emergency services were called at about 1.20pm on Saturday, KRFS said.

Lucas’s aunt, Maciee Stanford, 18, said the boy’s father jumped into the water after he fell between a jetty and a boat, but “the current was too strong, he had already gone”. She told Mirror Online: “He was with his dad and his dad’s friends along with other children.

“The incident happened because our Lucas was on the jetty and tried to step from there on to the boat, but he fell in between the jetty and the boat. As soon as he fell, the three adults jumped in after him, but the current was too strong. He had already gone in that short amount of time, he could not be found.

“They fish and do this regularly as it is behind one of the men’s houses. All the children play together here.”

A Facebook page called Search For Lucas said he was wearing a black and red striped T-shirt with white shorts.

Volunteers were warned about their own safety and told by police to stay away from the water’s edge, to work in groups, and to make sure they had phones with them.