According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, a 12-year-old Maryville girl has died as a result of an accident at Peery’s Mill Dam yesterday afternoon.

Deputies and the Blount County Fire Department responded to a call shortly before 4 p.m. at the dam on East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Walland.

When first responders arrived, civilians were performing CPR on the girl; officials carried Alexis Shirley to the river bank, from which she was taken by ambulance to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

The girl died this morning.

Sheriff James Lee Berrong said he and his deputies are “heartbroken” over the child’s death, adding, “Her death is a tragedy, and a stark reminder that life can be all too short.”

The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident.