Body recovered of young boy who disappeared in lake

There has been a sad ending to a search for a young boy in the Makwa Lake region.

The RCMP says searchers have recovered the body of a six-year-old boy who drowned in Makwa Lake in June.

In a release, the Mounties said members of the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team recovered the boy’s body on Wednesday afternoon, more than a kilometre from where he was last seen on the lake.

In a June 23 release, the RCMP indicated the boy had been playing on a sandbar when he was pulled from it by strong currents and swept away.

It has been a tragic summer in the water for residents of Saskatchewan.

The Lifesaving Society of Saskatchewan says there have been four fatal drownings of children under the age of six in the past six weeks.

In a release, the society says three six-year-olds have drowned in incidents around the province. Most recently, a two-year-old drowned in Moose Jaw in a backyard swimming pool.

The society says another six-year-old was successfully resuscitated last week after being pulled unconscious from a hotel pool in Prince Albert.

“These incidents are so sad and so preventable. It breaks my heart,” Shelby Rushton, the CEO of the Lifesaving Society of Saskatchewan, said in the release. “One of our constants messages is for parents and caregivers to stay within arm’s reach of toddlers and young children.

“Taking your eyes off a child for a couple of seconds can lead to a tragedy. Once a child falls under the water, they are unable to yell or cry for help.”

Rushton says there are some important safety tips you can follow when you have a child near the water. They include:

• Stay within an arm’s reach of the child;
• Install four-sided locking fencing around your backyard pools in addition to the fenced yard;
• Don’t let distractions get in the way of direct supervision of your children. Stay off the phone, put your book away and don’t get caught up in a conversation with anyone while you’re supervising;
• Set up a buddy system with fellow parents or caregivers for supervising children around the water. Take turns being the “lifeguard” in 15- or 20-minute intervals. That will still allow you to enjoy your book, check your phone or just sit back and relax. But don’t do it when it’s your turn to supervise; and,
• Be extra vigilant when using inflatable toys such as swans, mattresses, etc. Children can topple off easily and drown. They may also get taken out too far by the wind and waves.