lucyanna girl
<font color=blue>My hair looks like Tigger spit ou
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- Jan 16, 2005
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Six teens drown in the Red
River
Youths ages 13 to 18 vanish in 18-foot
sinkhole
By Loresha Wilson ljwilson@gannett.com
August 3, 2010
Six teens drowned late Monday after disappearing
into a sinkhole on the Red River, leading to a
tragedy that Shreveport Fire Chief Brian Crawford
called the worst he's ever seen.
Family members told authorities the victims,
between the ages of 13 and 18 from three families,
didn't know how to swim and were wading in
shallow water. They had been in the lake for about
10 minutes near the sandbar at the Charles and
Marie Hamel Memorial Park.
They had one life vest.
"One child ventured off into an area that he was
unfamiliar with, and some of the other children had
gone off with him," Crawford said. "They went into
the vicinity of an 18-foot sinkhole. ... And once one
started toppling into that sinkhole grabbing a hold
of another, trying to save another, eventually seven
were pulled into the hole."
A bystander jumped into the water and rescued a
15-year-old, but the other six went under and never
resurfaced. The sixth body was recovered nearly
three hours later, in water that authorities said was
between 18-feet and 25-feet deep.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid, and it's with a heavy heart,
to report that we have pulled so far (six) bodies
from the river. ... I can honestly say that in my 26
years of service I've never seen anything of this
magnitude. And I hope I never see it again," the fire
chief said.
"It's truly catastrophic and I can only imagine the
effect it has on the families."
The teen who was rescued was treated on the scene.
Emergency crews on both sides of the river
responded to reports of a single person drowning
just before 6:30 p.m., just south of the area. It took
fire officials about 10 minutes to locate the area,
and that's when they learned there were multiple
victims.
Dive teams from Shreveport and Bossier fire
departments, as well as members of the Caddo
sheriff's office, searched the water about an hour
before recovering the first body. By 10:30 p.m., all
the bodies were recovered.
Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, members of the
City Council and Caddo Schools Superintendent Dr.
Gerald Dawkins arrived at the scene with rescue
crews.
Area ministers helped counsel grief-stricken
relatives.
Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the families, watched
helplessly as the victims, five males and one female,
went under. She said a large group of family and
friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at
the sandbar to barbecue, swim and have a good
time.
They frequent the area and were familiar with the
water, Robinson said.
"None of us could swim," the 38-year-old said.
"They were yelling 'help me, help me. Somebody
please help me.' It was nothing I could do but watch
them drown one by one."
Another article goes on to say three were brothers and the other three were a sister and her two brothers. I cannot imagine.
Penny
River
Youths ages 13 to 18 vanish in 18-foot
sinkhole
By Loresha Wilson ljwilson@gannett.com
August 3, 2010
Six teens drowned late Monday after disappearing
into a sinkhole on the Red River, leading to a
tragedy that Shreveport Fire Chief Brian Crawford
called the worst he's ever seen.
Family members told authorities the victims,
between the ages of 13 and 18 from three families,
didn't know how to swim and were wading in
shallow water. They had been in the lake for about
10 minutes near the sandbar at the Charles and
Marie Hamel Memorial Park.
They had one life vest.
"One child ventured off into an area that he was
unfamiliar with, and some of the other children had
gone off with him," Crawford said. "They went into
the vicinity of an 18-foot sinkhole. ... And once one
started toppling into that sinkhole grabbing a hold
of another, trying to save another, eventually seven
were pulled into the hole."
A bystander jumped into the water and rescued a
15-year-old, but the other six went under and never
resurfaced. The sixth body was recovered nearly
three hours later, in water that authorities said was
between 18-feet and 25-feet deep.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid, and it's with a heavy heart,
to report that we have pulled so far (six) bodies
from the river. ... I can honestly say that in my 26
years of service I've never seen anything of this
magnitude. And I hope I never see it again," the fire
chief said.
"It's truly catastrophic and I can only imagine the
effect it has on the families."
The teen who was rescued was treated on the scene.
Emergency crews on both sides of the river
responded to reports of a single person drowning
just before 6:30 p.m., just south of the area. It took
fire officials about 10 minutes to locate the area,
and that's when they learned there were multiple
victims.
Dive teams from Shreveport and Bossier fire
departments, as well as members of the Caddo
sheriff's office, searched the water about an hour
before recovering the first body. By 10:30 p.m., all
the bodies were recovered.
Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, members of the
City Council and Caddo Schools Superintendent Dr.
Gerald Dawkins arrived at the scene with rescue
crews.
Area ministers helped counsel grief-stricken
relatives.
Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the families, watched
helplessly as the victims, five males and one female,
went under. She said a large group of family and
friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at
the sandbar to barbecue, swim and have a good
time.
They frequent the area and were familiar with the
water, Robinson said.
"None of us could swim," the 38-year-old said.
"They were yelling 'help me, help me. Somebody
please help me.' It was nothing I could do but watch
them drown one by one."
Another article goes on to say three were brothers and the other three were a sister and her two brothers. I cannot imagine.
Penny
