A 15-year-old girl drowned in the Licking River in Licking County on Sunday afternoon.
The Madison Township Fire Department posted on social media that emergency crews were dispatched around 3:30 p.m. after reports that a family was stranded on a log jam near the 4.2-mile marker on the Licking River. First responders observed two adults trapped on a log jam with two other kayakers holding onto debris about one mile east of Staddens Bridge.
Responders found the 15-year-old girl fully submerged under a log jam. Rapid currents, a sudden two feet drop-off, underwater branches and high-water pressure complicated the efforts to rescue the girl.
The girl was removed from the water at 3:47 p.m. and first responders immediately began CPR. The other victims were safely removed from the water just after 4 p.m.
The girl was taken to Licking Memorial Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Newark Fire Department, Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Department and Licking Township Fire Company and Licking County Sheriff's Office all responded to the scene to assist the Madison Township Fire Department.
Officials have not released the name of the girl who drowned.
