Girl dies after being pulled from River Wharfe near Burnsall

A 13-year-old girl died after being rescued from the River Wharfe near Burnsall, turning one of the Yorkshire Dales’ most visited beauty spots into the focus of renewed concern about open-water safety.

North Yorkshire Police said emergency services were called at about 6.30pm on Sunday 31 May 2026 to the river near Burnsall in the Skipton area after the girl was reported missing in the water. She was rescued and taken to hospital by air ambulance, but died a short time later. Police said they were not yet able to release her identity and thanked members of the public who helped at the scene.

Burnsall sits on a bend of the River Wharfe and is described by the Yorkshire Dales National Park as one of the most beautiful villages in Wharfedale, surrounded by fells and a popular destination for visitors. The river has long been known as a place for bathing, tubing and wild swimming, especially in warm weather, when the village attracts large numbers of people to its banks.

That popularity is also part of the risk. The Yorkshire Dales National Park says rivers, waterfalls and lakes in the park are widely used for paddling and swimming, but the water is always cool and cold-water shock is one of the biggest hazards. The River Wharfe is among Yorkshire’s best-known wild-swimming rivers, drawing visitors to stretches that can look calm from the bank but carry real danger once someone enters the water.

The death comes less than 24 hours after an 11-year-old boy went missing in the River Don in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, underlining the continuing danger posed by open water across the region. Emergency services involved in the Burnsall incident included the National Police Air Service, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services.

For North Yorkshire Police, the immediate focus remains on the family of the girl who died and on the people who stepped in at the scene. For local authorities and park managers, the broader question is whether enough is being done at popular river sites like Burnsall, where picturesque water and rising visitor numbers can quickly outpace the warnings that are meant to keep people safe.