Just days before Christmas, the family of a nine-year-old boy is in mourning after he fell into the icy waters of the Rideau River and died later in hospital.
Ottawa Fire Services said the boy and a friend were playing near the river when the boy slipped and fell into the water on Tuesday afternoon.
"They were playing on the edge of the water on the ice when he slipped in," said Marc Messier, a fire services spokesman.
The other boy ran to get help. People were walking their dogs in the area and someone called 911, Mr. Messier said.
Twenty-one firefighters along with police, two paramedics and a supervisor rushed to the scene near Wiggins Private just after 2 p.m. But when they arrived, there was no sign of the boy.
The water rescue unit set up in two spots along the river. Just before they were going to put a second boat in the water, a firefighter spotted the child floating 800 metres downstream at Strathcona Park, said Mr. Messier.
The firefighter quickly waded into the water and brought the boy to shore, Mr. Messier said.
The boy had no pulse and wasn't breathing.
"We started CPR immediately on him until paramedics arrived. Then we loaded him up and continued treatment until we got to CHEO," said Mr. Messier.
But the boy was pronounced dead about 50 minutes after he arrived at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Mr. Messier estimated the boy had been in the water about 10 to 15 minutes before he was found.
"Always a tough thing to happen any time of the year, but given that we're just a week away from Christmas it makes it more of a tragedy," said Mr. Messier.
J.P. Trottier, spokesman for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, said the incident happened in an area where the water flows pretty quickly.
The boy's family has been notified, said Mr. Trottier.
The death came just one day before the regional drowning prevention committee was set to release drowning prevention information on Wednesday, said Mr. Trottier, who sits on the committee.
"If there's any advice we can give to parents or adults or dog walkers ... just stay away from any waterways - be it ponds, lakes, rivers - stay completely away from them and make sure your pets are away from them as well," said Mr. Trottier.