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Two brothers identified in suspected drownings at Manitoba provincial park
🇨🇦 Canada /Disasters & Emergencies

Two brothers identified in suspected drownings at Manitoba provincial park

From Global News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Under investigation
  • Two brothers, aged 10 and 13, have been identified as the victims in a suspected drowning incident at Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park.
  • The boys were swept away in fast-moving rapids at Nutimik Lake near Sturgeon Falls Trail on Saturday.
  • A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family with funeral expenses, as search efforts continue.

Tragedy struck Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday when two brothers, 13-year-old Aaron Au Ramirez and 10-year-old Maximo Au Ramirez, were lost in the fast-moving rapids of Nutimik Lake. The incident occurred near Sturgeon Falls Trail, where the boys were playing on the shoreline.

Instinctively the 13-year-old went in to try and retrieve him and both ended up getting caught in the current and washed down the falls.

— Staff Sgt. Cory MeyersDescribing the sequence of events leading to the boys being swept away.

According to RCMP, the younger boy slipped on rocks and fell into the water. His older brother instinctively entered the water to rescue him, but both were caught in the strong current and washed down the falls. Neither boy was wearing a life jacket. Emergency officials were alerted around 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, and while a recovery operation is underway, the boys have not yet been found.

We are here today asking for the community to come together to help raise funds for the devastating situation and help the family with some of the funeral expenses.

— Harry Thiessen and Allison Baker-ThiessenExplaining the purpose of the GoFundMe campaign.

Friends and local lodge owners, Harry Thiessen and Allison Baker-Thiessen, have established a GoFundMe page to support the grieving family with funeral costs. "We are here today asking for the community to come together to help raise funds for the devastating situation and help the family with some of the funeral expenses," they wrote in a post. They expressed a strong desire for the boys to be found to provide closure for the family.

The boys have not been found and we really want them to be found for the family to get closure.

— Allison Baker-ThiessenExpressing hope for the recovery of the boys.

Search efforts are being supported by the non-profit HEART, which is surveying the difficult terrain. Manitoba Parks has stated that warning signage is present on the trail, and they are considering additional safety measures. However, Baker-Thiessen voiced concerns about the current lack of protective barriers in the area, hoping that changes will be made to prevent future tragedies.

It’s very difficult to get a scan there because of the wind, the waves today.

— Paul MaendalDescribing the challenges faced during the search efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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