Child jumps to his death off Arizona’s iconic London Bridge that was shipped from its original UK location brick by brick
A child died after jumping from Arizona's London Bridge in Lake Havasu City on Tuesday morning, according to local police. Witnesses saw the boy fall into the water, briefly resurface, then go under again, prompting a rescue operation by police and fire crews that ended with him being found unresponsive after roughly 20 minutes submerged. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition before being flown to a trauma centre in Las Vegas, where he died the following day. Police have not released his identity and are continuing to investigate the circumstances of his death.
The water beneath the bridge is around five to ten feet deep near the crossing, though Lake Havasu itself averages 35 feet and reaches depths of up to 90 feet near the Parker Dam. The bridge itself is a historic curiosity: built in London in the 1830s, it was found to be sinking in the early 1960s and was subsequently bought by American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch in 1968 for $2.46 million, dismantled brick by brick, shipped to California and trucked across the desert to be rebuilt in Arizona, where it has since become a well-known tourist attraction.
- Boy died after jumping from Arizona's relocated London Bridge on Tuesday
- Rescuers found him unresponsive after about 20 minutes underwater
- He died in a Las Vegas hospital; police are investigating