The family of six – mother and father and their four children – were fishing from Deer Island on the Merrimack River.
A state police boat and Newburyport fire truck are searching for a 6-year-old boy who went missing on the Merrimack River near Deer Island in Amesbury. David L. Ryan / Globe Staff
From the Associated Press
Updated June 11, 2022 2:52 p.m.
Newbourport, Massachusetts (AP) – A family trip on a Massachusetts fishing trip ended in tragedy with a mother dead and her 6-year-old son missing, authorities said. The family of six – mother and father and their four children – were fishing from Deer Island on the Merrimack River when shortly after 7pm on Thursday, two of the children entered the water, Newburyport fire department and police officials said in a statement. . The mother, identified by police on Saturday afternoon as Boua DeChhat, entered the water to pick up the children and with the help of a good Samaritan captain of a fishing boat who saw that the family was in danger, a 7-year-old girl was found rescued. said the authorities. But DeChhat did not respond and after rescue efforts were made at the scene, she was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport where she was pronounced dead, authorities said. Rescuers could not find the 6-year-old boy, who was also identified by police on Saturday afternoon as Mas DeChhat. All other family members count. Local, state, and federal agencies searched all night, and about 10 divers with the Massachusetts State Police Diving Team re-entered the water Friday morning with specialized equipment to continue the search for the boy. The Coast Guard stopped the search at 5 in the afternoon
A fundraiser has been set up for families of drowning victims
