Family tragedy: Boy, 14, drowns in Lake Erie, Ont. at beach, father, brother rescued

The assemblage of a 14-year-old boy was pulled from Lake Erie connected Tuesday, days aft he, his relative and his begetter sewage caught up successful vulnerable waters astatine Port Stanley, Ont.

The decease is prompting calls for action astir a pier notorious locally for vulnerable undertows.

Provincial constabulary were capable to rescue a 44-year-old man and his 17-year-old boy connected Sunday afternoon, but nan 14-year-old remained successful nan water.

Beachgoers and area residents worked together to shape a quality chain, trying desperately to prevention nan boy, but contiguous efforts were unsuccessful. The assemblage was recovered Tuesday afternoon.

“The OPP would for illustration to return this opportunity to opportunity convey you to each of our emergency work partners, organization residents and to everyone that provided accusation surrounding this incident,” Elgin OPP Insp. Jennifer Neamtz said.

“Our thoughts are pinch each family members and friends astatine this time.”

Police person not named nan deceased but nan London Muslim Mosque listed a funeral announcement Wednesday for Omer Buz. A GoFundMe said nan family precocious immigrated to London, Ont., and that “what started retired arsenic a beautiful family outing to nan formation of Port Stanley connected Sunday July 14th ended successful tragedy.”

“The Buz family has a girl surviving successful Turkey that is desperately trying to get to Canada to beryllium pinch her family during this devastating time,” nan fundraiser reads.

“We are asking nan organization to thief pinch thing imaginable to thief easiness nan financial load and besides immoderate recreation costs associated pinch bringing their girl home.”

Heather Taylor was among those assisting pinch rescue efforts connected Sunday. Despite only surviving successful adjacent St. Thomas for conscionable complete 8 years, this is nan 2nd drowning she’s witnessed.

Almost precisely 8 years anterior to Buz, 18-year-old William Johnston drowned disconnected nan pier, which had only reopened nan erstwhile twelvemonth pursuing a 17-year closure prompted by nan drownings of 3 men successful 1998, nan St. Thomas Times-Journal reported.

“Many of america who are section to Port Stanley and St. Thomas area cognize that nan area adjacent nan pier has higher dangers,” Taylor said.

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“The signage that’s down location now closest to nan pier, it has ‘What to do if a rip tide occurs’ and nan gangly writer was increasing complete that signage.”

Taylor is organizing a group group to meet Monday to statesman crafting a scheme to coming to council, apt successful nan fall, to look astatine options for improving h2o information awareness.

She said immoderate area companies person suggested they would beryllium happy to supply improved aliases further signage, create a QR codification to let signs to beryllium publication successful aggregate languages and support different imaginable formation information initiatives.

She noted that connection was besides a obstruction for nan family, whom she said pinch done interpreters astatine nan formation connected Sunday.

“The past point that ended pinch that speech was that I would advocator for nan family and advocator for amended h2o safety,” she said.

“When I said to his relative and said, ‘I will do this,’ and he thanked maine — that’s why I’m doing this. I will support that committedness I made to nan Buz family.”

MaryKate Townsend pinch nan Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition agreed that locals mostly understand nan dangers associated pinch nan lake, but summertime visitors whitethorn not admit those dangers.

“Unfortunately, I fearfulness that that’s what possibly has happened recently,” she said.

“Lake Erie is alternatively shallow and pinch impending storms and upwind changes, it tends to move complete beautiful quickly. We spot riptides and we spot precocious waves and murky water, truthful it makes visibility difficult, and past pinch rocks and nan pier and sandbars, it tin beryllium really unpredictable astatine times.”

Townsend is hoping for further chat pinch nan municipality astir information astatine nan pier, successful particular.

“We conscionable cognize from past instances wherever it has played a factor,” she said.

“That’s thing I’m hoping that possibly we tin prosecute successful conversations pinch nan municipality, and possibly they’ll return a look astatine that. But I deliberation it’s still early stages. Everybody’s still benignant of reeling and reacting to nan events.”