A young boy has died after going into the water in London’s Royal Victoria Dock.
The boy, believed to aged 13, was recovered by first responders who rushed to the east London dock at 4.20pm on Monday.
First aid was performed but we he was declared dead at the scene.
Officers from the Met’s marine policing unit, the London Ambulance Service, London’s Air Ambulance, London Fire Brigade and the coastguard were called to Silvertown Way, to reports of a child in the water.
The boy’s family are being supported by specialist officers.
A police investigation is under way but the Met says there is no suggestion of third-party involvement.
There were no other individuals reported in the water or other reported injuries.
It comes after 19 people across the country died in water-related accidents during the heatwave in May, including 13 children.
Evening Standard previously reported on water safety during Drowning Prevention Week (DPW), an annual campaign run by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), which offers resources and advice to help people stay safe around open water.
Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, who leads public protection in north-east London, said: "Our thoughts remain with the boy's family and loved ones as they come to terms with this tragedy. We kindly ask that their privacy is respected.
"We also make a plea to the public to avoid speculation and refrain from sharing distressing material online out of respect for the family and to preserve the investigation.
"Our sincere thanks go to the emergency services and partner agencies involved in the search and recovery efforts this evening, as well as members of the public who offered assistance and support.
"This incident is now being investigated on behalf of the coroner, and enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened.”
The Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of the three individual docks that make up east London’s Royal Docks.
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Built in 1855, the dock was designed for large steamships and was the first to be directly connected to Britain’s national railway network.
Nowadays, it Royal Victoria Dock is home to City Hall and ExCel London and is served by the DLR line.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 4.07pm on Monday 29 June to reports of a person in the water at Dock Road, Silvertown.
“We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
“Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a child was pronounced dead at the scene.”