Family watched helplessly as Winnipeg boy, 12, swept into rapids at Sturgeon Falls, father says

A search for a 12-year-old boy who slipped and fell into the Winnipeg River in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday has turned into a recovery mission.

Usaid Habib, 12, was a student at St. Norbert Immersion school in Winnipeg. His father, Danish Habib, says the family had been staying at the Nutimik Lake campground and hiked to Sturgeon Falls on Saturday morning.

The falls are a wide set of rapids between Numao and Nutimik lakes, which are wide parts of the Winnipeg River, about 135 kilometres east of Winnipeg near the Manitoba-Ontario border.

Danish said he was telling his eldest son not to get too close to the water when Usaid slipped off the rocks, fell into the water and was swept into the rapids.

"I don't know how he [got] over there … As soon as I turned after telling my oldest one, I heard the scream," he told reporters near Sturgeon Falls on Sunday.

"Within two seconds, he was in the rapids. I don't know how to swim so I couldn't save him."

Family on camping trip witnessed drowning of 12-year-old boy, father says

2 years ago

Duration 1:24

Danish Habib says his son, 12-year-old Usaid Habib, slipped into the water at Sturgeon Falls on Saturday morning. The family was camping at Nutimik Lake. Danish says his son will be remembered as a well-liked and very helpful young man.

Usaid was in the rapids for a few minutes as people tried to rescue him, his family says, but they couldn't bring him to shore.

Sturgeon Falls is accessible by a two kilometre hiking trail and pedestrian bridge from the Nutimik Lake campground. There are warning signs near the water which advise the public of slippery rocks and strong currents.

Hikers along the trail told CBC News about the dangerous conditions of the waters, which led to the drowning death of an Ontario kayaker six years ago.

The body of Dan Jorgensen, 59, was found at the foot of Sturgeon Falls in May 2017, after he died paddling along Nutimik Lake.

Muhammad Syed wasn't at Sturgeon Falls when his nephew fell in the water around 11 a.m., but said RCMP got there around 1 p.m. and began their search shortly after.

He thinks there should be a rescue team stationed near the campgrounds.

"We believe that [RCMP are] trying their best, and we can see that they're trying their best, but they came here a little late," Syed told reporters at Sturgeon Falls on Saturday.

"I think we should have someone here, because there are so many families — not just us — [that come] every season."

RCMP had no search updates on Sunday, and were not available for an interview, but remained on scene with Manitoba parks staff. Their underwater recovery team was out about 100 meters from the shore at Sturgeon Falls on Sunday afternoon.

The Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team, or HEART, was also on scene ready to assist. They said RCMP were using underwater cameras to look for Usaid.

Christopher Love, water smart and safety management co-ordinator for Life Saving Society Manitoba, says drownings indiscriminately affect all age groups in the province.

"Even if you know how to swim, fast-moving water can be dangerous in a couple of ways," he told CBC News.

"You could get sucked under, you could be pushed into something, you could have debris run into you."

He says 70 per cent of all drownings in Manitoba take place between May to September, adding that learning how to swim, using the buddy system when heading into the water and swimming in supervised locations are all effective ways to prevent drownings.

Parents should keep children aged 12 and under within arm's reach when near the water, according to Love.

Syed says his sister — Usaid's mother — is in pain.

"It's really so hard. You cannot even imagine," he said. "He won't be with us for now and onward. We're just hoping that [RCMP] find something."

'We couldn't do anything'

The family is from Pakistan, where Usaid was also born, according to Syed. They've made annual trips to Nutimik Lake for the past four years — a tradition that has likely come to an end.

Usaid was well-liked amongst all his family, said Danish. During Ramadan last month, Usaid volunteered to collect donations after prayers every night.

"He was just a helpful and sweet boy."

The family has been devastated by his loss.

"It's just a horrible memory, because my whole family was here. Everybody saw him drowning and we couldn't do anything for him."