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Mother's anguish after baby boy pulled from river dies in hospital

A 22-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of murder, as police urge a "significant number" of witnesses to come forward.

Emma Blood and her baby Zakari
Image: Emma Blood said Zakari was 'her whole world'
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The mother of a baby boy who died after being pulled from a river has described their final moments together, as police revealed a "significant number" of people witnessed the fatal incident.

The youngster, thought to be 11 months old and named locally as Zakari Bennett, was retrieved by firefighters from the River Irwell in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday afternoon.

He was rushed to hospital but died a short time later. A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

In an emotional post on Facebook, Zakari's mother Emma Blood said she only discovered her son had died when she arrived at A&E.

Extracts from the post said: "I lost my baby today.

"I love my little boy and did everything for him.

"I didn't know my child was dead until I got to A&E.

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"We sat with him for hours, we held him, we kissed him.

"I wish I was dead instead.

"Let me grieve for my child, my whole world and so much more."

Tributes have been left at the River Irwell where the baby's body was found
Image: Tributes have been left at the River Irwell where the baby's body was found

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said there was a "significant number of witnesses to what happened" and urged anyone with information to come forward "to help us get answers for this little boy's loved ones".

Detective Inspector Wes Knights said: "This is an incredibly tragic incident which has taken the life of a baby boy, who we believe is only around 11 months old.

Emma Blood and her baby Zakari
Image: Ms Blood said she wished she was dead instead of her son

"His family have understandably been left devastated by what has happened and we have specially trained officers providing them with support at this difficult time.

"We currently have a suspect in custody, who will be questioned by detectives later today, however our investigation does not stop there and we need anybody with information to come forward and help us get answers for this little boy's loved ones.

Tributes have been left at the River Irwell where the baby's body was pulled from
Image: Police say a 'significant number' of people witnessed the fatal incident

"We know that there were a significant number of witnesses to what happened and I want to urge those people to come forward and provide us with as much detail as they can."

Mr Knights said the baby had been in the Radcliffe town centre area for several hours before he was pulled from the river and it was possible that people may have information about the circumstances leading up to the incident.

Tributes have been left at the River Irwell where the baby's body was found
Image: A woman lays flowers at the River Irwell in Radcliffe

He added that "we know that some of the incident was captured in images or on video" and urged that anyone with pictures or footage to contact police.

Mr Knights said: "We appreciate that the incident has caused a lot of concern locally, which is understandable, but I would ask that people please refrain from speculating on social media about the circumstances and who may or may not have been involved, as this is still a live criminal investigation."

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Friday.