Girl dies after she was swept into Sarasota storm drain

The 5-year-old girl swept into a Sarasota County storm drain along Bahia Vista Street on Sunday has died, authorities said.

Zaria Miller, 5, was found in a pond about 100 yards from where she was pulled into swift-moving water following rains and a water main break nearby. She had been taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in critical condition Sunday evening. She died following a transfer to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

A GoFundMe page has collected nearly $100,000 to help the family.

“It is with a broken heart I have to share that Zaria has received the ultimate healing, and is in the arms of Jesus,’’ a message on the page reads.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office initially reported the incident Sunday, saying that water from a broken water main and recent inclement weather not only swept Zaria away, but also led to the collapse of a portion of the pavement on Bahia Vista Street, prompting a road closure.

The Sheriff’s Office said Zaria and other children had been playing near a drainage culvert at the time of the incident.