8-year-old girl dies days after being rescued from Kings River

An 8-year-old girl who was in critical condition after nearly drowning in the Kings River last week has died.

Samantha Cruzpedro was underwater for at least 15 minutes when rescuers found her and pulled her out of the water on Wednesday.

She had been at Valley Children's Hospital on life support since then.

The hospital confirmed on Tuesday evening that she has passed away.

On August 5, Samantha and two other children were playing near Reedley Beach when they were swept away by the cold current.

The two other children were rescued and are safe, but a bystander, Manjeet Singh, lost his life when he jumped in to help them.