An 11-year-old girl who is missing after she entered the River Thames on Monday has been named by the Metropolitan Police as Kaliyah Coa.

Kaliyah, who had been playing during a school inset day, entered the water near Barge House Causeway, near London City Airport in east London.

Emergency services were called at 1.23pm on Monday with London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, the RNLI and the Coastguard searching for the missing schoolgirl.

A police statement said officers are now leading a recovery mission along the Thames to find Kaliyah.

Chief Superintendent Dan Card, local policing commander for north-east London, said: “Our specialist officers are supporting Kaliyah’s family through this deeply upsetting time and our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.

“We are committed to finding Kaliyah and are working with partners to conduct a thorough search over a wide area – utilising drone technology and boats.

“I’d like to thank the members of public, our first responding officers, and colleagues from other emergency services, as they responded rapidly to carry out a large-scale search during a highly pressurised and distressing time.

“Equally, we appreciate this has affected the wider community who have been extremely supportive. You will see extra officers in the area during the coming days – if you have any concerns then please speak to them.”

Emergency services launched a “large-scale response” to the incident, the force said, but the search was later scaled down, with London Ambulance Service (LAS), London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the RNLI saying crews had been stood down.

The child had been playing near the water with a young boy and girl, residents said.

Shaleen Rajaendram, 59, who lives on Barge House Road which leads onto the causeway, told PA: “I heard upstairs a guy was screaming ‘wait there, wait, the police is coming’.”

The man was standing on a balcony in a flat block overlooking the river and later told Ms Rajaendram he had been alerted by the children “shouting, screaming”, she said.

Ms Rajaendram continued: “Then I saw suddenly two kids were coming out to the top of the bridge, I said ‘what happened?’

“Then they said ‘one of my friends was playing in the water, one of my friends has gone into water and she’s gone underneath and we can’t find her’.”

The girl returned home while the boy told Ms Rajaendram where the incident took place.

Ms Rajaendram then called her neighbour, Kerry Benadjaoud, 62, who took a life ring down to the water but could not see the girl.

A man said he had called the police, Ms Benadjaoud told PA, adding: “But he said at the time he could see her (the girl’s) hands going down. So, by the time I got down there with the ring I couldn’t find her.”

The lifelong area resident said she discovered shoes, a sock, a coat and a phone near the river, and handed the items to the police.