Search continues for girl, 11, swept away by water in Harbin

Villagers and rescuers in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, are still searching for an 11-year-old girl more than a day after she fell into a roadside ditch and was carried away by deep, rushing water from melting snow.

Wang Chunlan, from Fengshou village, Sheli street in Acheng district, fell into the roadside ditch on her way to the grocery store in the village at around 5 pm on Sunday and was still missing after more than 24 hours of search efforts, according to a news statement from the publicity department of the district government.

Liu Cai, head of the street office of Sheli, said that chances that the girl survived are dropping, given the low temperatures in Harbin at this time of year, especially at night, when they fall below freezing.