Calgary boy drowned in Nova Scotia's LaHave River, say RCMP
12-year-old boy was swimming with other youths when he went underwater and did not return to shore
A family is grieving the loss of a 12-year-old boy from Calgary who drowned in the LaHave River on the weekend.
An underwater rescue team found the boy's body Monday morning after he went missing while swimming with family on the weekend, say Nova Scotia RCMP.
Lunenburg County RCMP say the boy was visiting family when he went swimming in the river with friends around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
"To the best of our knowledge the boy was here playing with some relatives and they were just in the water playing and he went under water and couldn't resurface," said Sgt. Derek Smith Lunenburg District RCMP.
"My understanding, from speaking with the family member, is he is not a strong swimmer and that, very likely, was a contributing factor to the tragic events here today."
Rescuers found the boy's body at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, near where he was last seen. The body was found in about six metres of water, about 24 to 30 metres from the shoreline.
Smith said the other children, who were around the same age, lived nearby and swam at the location often.
"The family is very understandably upset. It's a 12-year-old boy, not that any family does well in the death of a loved one, but certainly when [they're] so young and so tragic it's a very difficult circumstance."
Smith said it's also a difficult situation for search crews who had hoped for a different outcome.
"They're holding up a bit. We will do a critical incident debrief with them and we have engaged victim services to be with the family and help them through this very difficult time."
Police are calling the death a drowning. The boy's body has been sent to the provincial medical examiner's office.