2 Kennedy family members missing after canoe trip

Mike PONT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

A search operation is currently underway for the granddaughter of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy and her son.

Maeve Kennedy McKean and her eight-year-old son Gideon were last seen on Thursday evening in a canoe off Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

In a statement released on Friday, the family said the search has "turned from rescue to recovery".

Her husband David McKean had earlier told the Washington Post that McKean and Gideon had "popped into a canoe" to chase after a ball that had rolled away.

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