After their disappearance in the Rhine near Duisburg, the hope of finding the two 13 and 14-year-old girls still dwindled.

"The probability of getting the two girls out of the Rhine alive is very low," said a police spokeswoman on Thursday in Duisburg.

The police now want to advise on the further use.

A 17-year-old girl rescued from the Rhine on Wednesday later died despite attempts at resuscitation.

The fire brigade and police had confirmed this on Thursday night.

She was discovered by helicopter and then rescued from the river in a lifeboat.

According to the police, the girls come from Duisburg.

Swimming and bathing in the Rhine is considered life-threatening because of the current.

Nevertheless, especially in warm, sunny weather, there are many people on the water.

Serious and fatal accidents occur time and again.

The rescuers had looked for the missing girls with a large contingent on Wednesday.

Helicopters, boats, patrol cars and divers were in action.

Around 160 people were involved.

After dark, the mission was initially interrupted.

According to the fire brigade, several people were reported missing in the Rhine at around 5:50 p.m.

A larger number of people were on the bank, so 20 to 40 people were looked after on site.

When searching from the air, the 17-year-old was spotted in the water and rescued with a lifeboat.

A 29-year-old drowned last week

On Saturday, the body of a 29-year-old was discovered in the Rhine after a swimming accident.

The man had gone swimming in the Rhine the previous Wednesday in Rheinberg-Orsoy (Wesel district) and after a few meters called for help, the police said, citing witnesses.

He tried to save himself on the bank, but then sank and was no longer seen.

The body was finally found in the Waal near Nijmegen (Netherlands), several kilometers further northwest. The river Waal is an arm of the Rhine that flows into the North Sea.