OPP urge water safety after one tragedy and one rescue in Turkey Point, Ont.
OPP are reminding people of water safety after two people were rescued from Lake Erie at Turkey Point this past weekend - just one week after a young boy drowned in the same area.
The family of eight-year-old Mustapha Adam has begun a crowd-funding campaign to start an education fund for children to take extra-curricular activities such as swimming lessons and life-saving skills, along with an education fund for children in need.
“Mustapha had high empathy,” said the boy’s cousin, Daud Abdulrahman, who launched the campaign.
Mustapha disappeared off Turkey Point on June 5. His body was discovered after an extensive search by the OPP Marine Unit. He drowned after abandoning a floating raft that had drifted far from shore and attempting to swim back.
His uncle said the family wants to honour the fact that, even at a tender age, the boy was always thinking about the needs of others.
“He would ask questions to his parents such as, ‘Why are people poor? Why can’t people have food?' So the idea of people suffering was really something that was in Mustapha’s mind every day.”
The campaign comes after Norfolk OPP Marine Unit officers rescued two individuals off Turkey Point this past weekend.
According to police they were suffering from hypothermia after being in the water for five hours after they fell from their personal watercraft.
Acting OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk says they planned ahead, and that resulted in their lives being saved.
“I can tell you without a doubt that lifejackets saved their lives, along with a phone call from a concerned family member. So we’re asking people that may be heading out into the water to please have a plan in place. Always put your safety as a priority. If you are traveling for the day have all necessary safety equipment - a charged cell phone - and make sure you keep it on your person. In this case here there was a cell phone, but it was on the personal watercraft that drifted away.”
Sanchuk said there are points along the lake line in Norfolk County where the undertow is significant. That includes popular beaches like those in Port Dover, Long Point and Turkey Point
He also said the further out from shore, the colder the water becomes, “It’s very deceiving.”
Sanchuk adds that it’s important to let people know when you’re heading out onto the water, and when you’re expected back, so they know to call for help if you don’t return.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.