The body of a 10-year-old boy who was swept away while playing on mud flats has been recovered.

The boy, from Gloucester, who has not been named, was last seen playing beside the River Severn near Arlingham in Gloucestershire, which is on a peninsula 13 miles south of Gloucester.

He was last seen shortly after 8pm on Sunday and coastguards, the police, fire service and Severn Area Rescue Association, assisted by the police helicopter, searched into the early hours.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said the missing boy fell into deep water and two of his friends made unsuccessful efforts to rescue him.

Police confirmed that family members had gathered at the scene and were waiting in a nearby pub to discover the youngster’s fate.
A woman, believed to be the boy’s mother, was seen being led to the river by police officers to identify the body.

The coroner has been informed.

Family members left the riverbank without making any comment shortly after midday.

It is believed the boy’s father has yet to be informed, and his identity will not be released until this has been done.

Staff at The Old Passage Inn, which is opposite the riverbank where the boy was found, would not comment although they appeared visibly distressed by the morning’s events.

The body was found in a solitary spot, with the pub being the only building on the east bank near the scene.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said one of the members of the public who assisted in finding the boy is believed to have been a professional diver.