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 Ontario Provincial Police officers and members of the public work on pulling a man from the water in the Moon River just below the Bala Falls, in the town of Bala, Wednesday. The bodies of two men have been pulled from the water at the Bala Falls in Ontario’s cottage country this afternoon, just a few days after a triple-drowning in the same area. (JUSTIN CHIDLEY/THE CANADIAN PRESS) |
An Illinois man drowned while his brother was revived after they were pulled from the water at Bala Falls in Ontario’s cottage country this afternoon trying to rescue the dead man's nine-year-old daughter, just days after a triple-drowning in the same area.
OPP Bracebridge report two men entered the fast-moving water at the base of the falls at 1:48 p.m. to rescue the girl, the daughter of the dead man, Nadim Shah, 44, of Hanover, Ill.
Ghulam Badar, 53, of Mississauga and the child's uncle, is on life support at Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie.
The girl, who was wearing a lifejacket and playing in the water, had begun to drift away from shore towards the base of the falls, said OPP Const. Peter Leon.
She was rescued, but her father and uncle were apparently dragged under by the swirling waters, he said.
As soon as he heard about it, OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said he felt sick to his stomach.
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"We are all shaking our heads trying to figure out what more can be done," he said. "This is why we put safety messages out."
It was a message he repeated tonight.
"Never take safety for granted," Fantino said. "A tragedy can happen and they do happen. Some things are out of our control so I can't stress enough take every safety precaution necessary."
He said the problem with tragedy is "there is such a high cost. What has happened in the past few days does upset us because any loss of life to innocent people just out enjoying the good weather is upsetting.
"This has been a tragic week in Ontario's cottage country with two more people losing their lives today in our waterways," Fantino said. "This latest incident where two brave men died while attempting to rescue a small child demonstrates the inherent dangers of our lakes and rivers and the need to be vigilant at all times.”
In nearby Moon River, OPP divers today recovered the body of the third man who drowned Sunday.
The body of 31-year-old Vladimir Tsimfer of Mississauga, was found by divers who earlier recovered the bodies of Peter Ludian, 21, who was visiting from Poland, and Vladimir Sirghi, 22, of Barrie.
All three drowning victims have been taken to a hospital in Bracebridge, where post-mortem examinations will be conducted.
Seven people believed to be in their 20s got into the fast-moving water at the lower portion of the waterfalls on Sunday, but only four came out.