WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — A search is now underway for a hearing-impaired fifth-grade student of New Hope Primary School in Whitehouse, Westmoreland.

“I am trembling as I speak to you,” a teacher told Observer Online. “They should have been inside waiting to be dismissed, but they tried to leave through the fence. We’re heartbroken and hoping for the best. The entire community is on the seaside.”

According to reports from the scene, the boy attempted to cross a drain, slipped and fell into the water.

His classmates and a nearby ice-cream vendor desperately tried to rescue him, but they were unsuccessful.

Police are now on the scene, and the search continues. Fishermen from the community have launched their boats and are currently combing the coastline for any sign of the child. Ongoing rainfall — though now lighter — has made search efforts more difficult, as runoff water from nearby hills continues to empty into the sea.

Parents and residents have gathered at the scene, visibly distressed. As the search continues into the evening, the community remains gripped with anxiety, hoping for a miracle.

-Rosalee Wood Condell

The flooded drain where a hearing impaired fifth grade student of New Hope Primary School in Whitehouse Westmoreland was swept away.

Police are now on the scene at New Hope Primary School in Westmoreland where a hearing impaired grade five student was washed away earlier today.