CHELSEA — A 2-year-old girl died after she fell into the First Branch of the White River in Chelsea on Friday afternoon.
Authorities were notified around 1 p.m. that the toddler was missing and may have fallen into the river, according to a Vermont State Police news release.
Emergency personnel pulled her from the river south of the intersection of routes 110 and 113 and transported her by ambulance to Gifford Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The girl entered the river from behind her home, which is north of the intersection, according to Vermont State Police Capt. Roger Farmer.
Police didn’t release the girl’s name.
“An investigation into this tragic event is ongoing by Vermont State Police,” officials said in the news release late Friday night.
Nobody answered at what was believed to be the girl’s home along Route 110 around 5:45 p.m.
The rushing river, running faster and higher than normal because of rain and snowmelt in the Green Mountains this week, could be heard from Route 110.