A toddler died at an RV resort in Aransas Pass Wednesday evening after she fell 15 feet into a septic tank, according to officials.
The 2-year-old-girl, identified as Charleigh Nicole Nelson by her father, was walking on the lid of the tank when she fell in, according to KRIS 6 News in Corpus Christi.
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Family and neighbors at the Paradise Lagoons RV Resort park tried saving her with a rope but it was too short, the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department said in a news release. They also attempted to reach her with shovels and a local business lent a backhoe, but the rescue attempts were unsuccessful.
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Nelson’s remains were found at around 6:30 p.m. after an Ingleside volunteer firefighter was lowered into the tank, the department said.
“Unfortunately, the child had been underwater for a significant period of time,” the department wrote. “This is a terrible tragedy for the family of this child, her neighbors who witnessed the event, and all of the 1st responders who assisted in the recovery.”
Rockport Volunteer Fire Department spokeswoman Gillian Cox told KRIS 6 that the firefighter had to fit in a 2-foot-wide hole to reach her body.
The tank was filled with 2-3 feet of water, and she was reportedly in the tank for more than an hour.
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KIII TV reported a few firefighters who helped in the recovery were transported to a hospital as a precaution.
KRIS reported the girl, her mother and her siblings were visiting from out of town to see her father, who works in the area.
The fire department is urging adults to “keep an extra eye on children especially near bodies of water" and around vehicles.
PRESS RELEASE January 20, 2019 At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday February 18th Rockport Police Department,...
Posted by Rockport Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, February 20, 2020
An investigation is ongoing.
Paradise Lagoons RV Resort is located at 1331 Texas Highway 188.