Two siblings have been declared dead after being swept away by a river in California

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Two young California siblings have died after being swept away by a fast-flowing stream. They had spent Tuesday afternoon at a picnic area in the San Bernadino National Forest.

The children’s mother had taken her 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy to spend the afternoon at the Thurman Flats picnic area, according to a Tuesday news release from the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Yucaipa Station.

The children were playing near the fast-flowing waters of the river around 3 p.m. when the girl apparently went into the water while the mother was tending to her young son.

The mother then went looking for her daughter but could not find her; When she returned, her son was missing and it is believed he also went into the raging waters.

After “frantically” searching for her two children, the mother, who was not named by authorities, made her way to the picnic area and contacted another family to help search for her children. They didn’t manage to find her.

“Unfortunately, she was unable to call 911, so there was a delay in activating the system, and when we responded and showed up, both children were missing,” said Michael McClintock, battalion chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Department ABC7.

At 4 p.m., about an hour after the young girl was swept away, officers from the Yucaipa Police Department and the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department Rescue Team began the search. They were assisted by the sheriff’s air rescue team, as well as Mentone Station County firefighters and the U.S. Forest Service rescue team.

The girl was found around 4:39 p.m. The boy was also found shortly after 5 p.m.

Both were taken to local hospitals, but despite extensive life-saving measures being performed, both were pronounced dead.

“It’s tough,” Mr. McClintock said. “It’s a tragic situation, and a lot of us are parents, and it’s really hard on our firefighters, especially because they’re our people.”

The fire chief warned that drowning is a leading cause of death in children ages one to four. He said there are about 4,000 deaths a year, about 11 a day.

“The biggest thing we can do is put natural barriers in the swimming pools at home, make sure they are supervised, and when we go to lakes and rivers, we really make sure we look after our children” said McClintock.

“Don’t underestimate the water,” he added. “It can knock you out pretty quickly.”

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Yucaipa Station, asks anyone with information related to the investigation to call or go anonymously to (909) 918-2305 or 1-800-78-CRIME (27463). www.wetip.com