A TODDLER who fell into a river has died after hopes were raised of a miraculous survival when a heartbeat was detected THREE HOURS after she had initially been declared dead.

The ten-month-old girl and her three-year-old sister were apparently knocked into bitterly cold waters by their mum, who said she had fainted as they fed ducks.

The three were seen floundering in the Thames at Goring Lock, Oxfordshire, by a boatman who dialled 999 and then bravely leapt in and pulled all three out.

Paramedics arrived and tried to revive the youngster, who was then airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

A paediatric clinical team then began a desperate attempt to resuscitate her in the emergency department.

But after a lengthy period the medics agreed there was no hope and stopped.

At 11.56am around two hours 20 minutes after she had plunged into the water cops released the heartbreaking news that the little girl had drowned.

But three hours later, at 2.49pm, they made another announcement saying a doctor had detected a faint heartbeat and the youngster was ALIVE and in intensive care, although in a critical condition. Sadly, early this morning cops confirmed that the baby had died after several hours in intensive care.

The young mum and her three-year-old were taken to the same hospital and were checked for signs of hypothermia.

But both seemed fine and are now expected to make a full recovery.

Police launched an official investigation into the incident yesterday.

It was believed the mother had walked with her two children, one in a buggy, almost half a mile up the towpath to a remote spot by the lock where the incident happened.

Police frogmen searched an area of the river yesterday that had been sealed off.

Toys and clothes were later fished out of the water.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: An investigation is underway into the exact circumstances of what happened.