Girl, 10, dies in apparent drowning in Arkansas bayou

Authorities said they recovered the body of a girl Monday morning after she was swept downstream while swimming in a river in Pope County.

The Pope County sheriff’s office said it responded around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday to the Illinois Bayou along Arkansas 164 following reports of a girl being swept downstream.

Rescue crews searched the waters through the early hours of Monday morning, and divers who resumed the search found the girl’s body in the water shortly after 10 a.m., officials said.

Pope County coroner Danny White said the girl was 10-years-old, and his office was still investigating the death.

A statement by the sheriff's office didn’t say why the girl was in the water after sunset.

"Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers during this tragic time," the statement read.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the girl's age due to incorrect information from the Pope County sheriff's office. She was 10 years old.

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