A 10-year-old Bridgeport girl has died after being pulled from Lake Mohegan in Fairfield, according to Fairfield Police Chief Gary Macnamara.
Police have identified the girl as Kathleen Trujillo, 10, from Bridgeport, and said an autopsy will be performed on Wednesday.
A dive team pulled Kathleen from the water after she went under while swimming with her mother in the lake, according to Fairfield Police.
She was swimming in a no-swim area of the lake when she panicked after losing her footing, officials said.
Kathleen's mother tried desperately to put her daughter on her back, but the girl let go and a powerful current pulled her underwater, officials said.
The mother tried to grab the girl, but was unsuccessful, according to police.
Police were called around 7:30 p.m. They said Kathleen was underwater for about 30 minutes and was found in an area with a 60-foot drop.
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Divers pulled her up from about halfway down that drop and she was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital.
Authorities said the mother is in shock.
"To watch your child disappear before, and just thinking of what could happen, has to be the most devastating thing a parent could go through," Lt. James Perez said.
Authorities urge people to adhere to the warning signs posted at lakes.
