Lena (4) drowned while her parents were cleaning up

By Katharina Metag, Dirk Böttger and Jörg Bergmann

Although the whole village was looking for her, the little girl could only be rescued dead from the Klempowsee on Tuesday evening.

The tragic accident: After a happy family celebration in Wusterhausen Dosse (Ostprignitz Ruppin), the 4-year-old fell unnoticed from the jetty at the idyllic lakeside restaurant and drowned. Around 5 p.m. after the party for the 60th birthday of their great-aunt, the parents had loaded gifts, flowers and their little brother’s (6 months) pram into the car.

Only a few minutes passed before the child’s disappearance was noticed. The family immediately searched on the shore, in the forest and on the moor. The friends from the sailing club and also visitors to the local recreation area 70 kilometers northwest of Berlin helped out.

When there was still no trace of the girl more than an hour later, the relatives called emergency services.

A large-scale search operation by police officers and the fire brigade immediately began. A helicopter flew over the area, the forest and the banks were searched with sniffer dogs, and firefighters were out on the water in boats.

The child’s body was found after about two hours. She was floating in the water near the shore. “An emergency doctor could only determine the death of the girl,” says a police spokesman.

The investigation into the exact circumstances of death took over the Kripo. The child’s body is to be autopsied. It is also about the question of whether security obligations have been violated. The possibility of neglecting the duty of supervision could also play a role, the spokesman said. However, the investigators assume a tragic accident. The child’s grandmother runs the local day care center, and according to local residents, the mother is also a committed and popular teacher.

Little Lena’s entire family is in shock, relatives had to be cared for by pastors.