Heartbroken family pays tribute to 'beautiful' girl, 9, who died after entering River Thames
The devastated family of a nine-year-old girl who passed away after entering the River Thames have shared a heartbreaking tribute.
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Emergency services responded on Friday to a report of two children, a boy and a girl, who were facing difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent.
The boy was rescued, but the girl, now named online as “Bia”, was found dead on Saturday.
According to posts online, Bia was just nine years old.
Taking to social media after police recovered the body, her heartbroken family said she had her “whole life ahead of her.”
They added: "Oh, she left us speechless, this little girl had her whole life ahead of her, but she had the life that was decided by God. Smooth road to heaven, my niece."
Another relative, her uncle Leon Alkapone, described her as a “beautiful angel.”
He said: "Rest In Peace, Little Angel, Bia. May God comfort the grieving family."
After locating the body, Kent Police said: "Officers searching the River Thames near Gravesend for a missing girl have located a body.
"Kent Police was called by the Port of London Authority at 1.46pm on Friday 30 May 2025, to concerns for the welfare of two children who had entered the river at Royal Pier Road.
"Patrols, H.M. Coastguard, the RNLI and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene where a boy had been retrieved from the water. He remains at a local hospital in a stable condition.
"Kent Police's Marine Unit and H.M. Coastguard continued the search of the water and river bank this morning.
"At around 11.40am, a body was recovered from the river near Gravesend with the assistance of the RNLI.
"Formal identification by the missing girl's next of kin has taken place. The death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage and a report will be prepared for the coroner."