Three children missing after plunging into the Mississippi river at night as Coast Guard launches desperate search

OFFICIALS are still searching for three children after they plunged into the Mississippi River late Saturday night.

The juveniles, including a 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and an eight-year-old girl, were reported to have entered the water at around 7.15pm near the Crescent City Connection bridge, which connects the east and west banks of New Orleans.

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It is not clear why the children entered the river.

The US Coast Guard requested New Orleans’ Regional Transit Authority to suspend its service of the Algiers-Canal Street ferry to allow its vessels to search the area.

Shuttle buses instead carried riders between the banks.

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Rescue crews sent to the area included a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, the Coast Guard cutter Sawfish, and three other boat crews from Coast Guard Station New Orleans and the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, officials said.

The New Orleans Fire Department and New Orleans police also joined the search, which continued overnight into early Sunday morning.