Search resumes for missing Massachusetts boy, 6, in river

Massachusetts rescue divers were back in the Merrimack River Sunday morning searching for the 6-year-old boy who fell into the river Thursday.

Mason DeChhat was with his family on Deer Island when he reached into the water to try to grab a stick and fell in, according to the Massachusetts State Police. His 7-year-old sister tried to catch him and was pulled in as well.

Their mother, 29-year-old Boua DeChhat, dove in after them but, unable to swim, was carried upstream toward the nearby Whittier Bridge along with her children.

When their father returned from the car, he too climbed into the water despite also not knowing how to swim. He eventually grabbed a rock by the shore and pulled himself back onto land. He was later transported taken Seabrook Hospital to be treated for exposure and hypothermia.

A fishing boat operator spotted Boua DeChhat and her daughter near the bridge and pulled them aboard, but Mason was nowhere to be found. Both mother and daughter were taken to Anna Jacques Hospital, where Boua was pronounced deceased and her daughter was treated and released.

The Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit, U.S. Coast Guard and nearby fire and police departments have been searching for Mas since Thursday night and resumed their search Sunday morning, a police spokesperson told the Daily News.