Several days after a swimming accident in the Rhine near Duisburg, two water bodies were discovered downstream in the Netherlands.
It was initially unclear whether these were the 13 and 14-year-old girls who were missing after bathing near Duisburg.
The bodies were washed ashore at different locations near Rossum and Gendt in the Waal estuary of the Rhine at the weekend, as reported by several media.
The Duisburg police only confirmed the find on Monday morning.
The authority did not provide any further information.
Last Wednesday, two girls aged 13 and 14 took a bath together with a 17-year-old friend near Duisburg in the Rhine.
Suddenly they were pulled under the water.
People on the bank who witnessed the disaster alerted the rescue workers.
The fire brigade, police and DLRG rescuers then started an hour-long search operation with around 160 emergency services, two helicopters and several divers.
From the air, the 17-year-old was spotted in the water and rescued with a lifeboat.
However, she died shortly afterwards despite attempts at resuscitation.
The search for the two girls continued, but the rescuers had to give up in the dark.
The chances of finding the two girls still alive were very slim.
Warnings must be heeded
On Friday, North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) expressed his great concern: "My thoughts are with the parents and relatives of the girls and I wish them a lot of strength." The minister warned against further bathing trips in the Rhine. "Time and again there are fatal swimming accidents in the Rhine in our country, which could be avoided if people heeded the urgent warnings from the police, the fire brigade and other aid organizations."
A few days before the three girls had a swimming accident, a 29-year-old had an accident very close to the scene of the accident in Rheinberg-Orsoy. The man had gone swimming in the river and after a few meters called for help, the police said, citing witnesses. He still tried to save himself on the bank, but then sank and was no longer seen. The body was found several kilometers away. According to figures from the German Life Saving Society (DLRG), at least 378 people drowned nationwide in 2020, 335 of them in inland waters. 47 people lost their lives in North Rhine-Westphalia.