Two young girls had to be rescued from the Namoi River in Narrabri on Tuesday night when they became stranded.
TWO young girls had to be rescued from the Namoi River in Narrabri on Tuesday night when they became stranded.
Barwon Local Area Command police were called to the banks of the Namoi River near Hinds St about 8pm to search for two 11-year-old girls reported missing.
After searching the riverbanks, police saw the distressed girls clinging to a log in the middle of the river.
Officers waded in and carried both girls back to safety, reuniting them with their concerned families.
Neither girl was injured.
Barwon Local Area Command crime manager Gavin Rattenbury commended the efforts of the officers and said the incident was a vivid reminder that waterways could be treacherous, even to locals.
Recent heavy flooding in the Moree and Narrabri districts has seen water levels increase and become fast-flowing in rivers, creeks and local waterways.
“Statistics show that a high number of drowning deaths occur in inland waterways,” Detective Inspector Rattenbury said.
“Any fatality is a tragedy, but it is especially devastating when we need to investigate a death that could have been avoided, as is often the case with drownings.
“Community awareness about water safety is absolutely vital in reducing the number of drowning fatalities.
“The efforts of our officers last night in locating these young girls and bringing them to safety, without incident, is certainly a job well done and a credit to the officers concerned.”