'We couldn't do anything': The search continues for 12-year-old boy presumed drowned in Whiteshell Provincial Park
The search for a 12-year-old Winnipeg boy presumed drowned continued Sunday in Whiteshell Provincial Park, one day after he fell into the water.
The family of Usaid Habib are waiting for a moment of closure.
“They are searching for my son, inside the water I think, I haven’t met with the RCMP yet,” said Danish Habib, Usaid's father.
The family was staying in Nutimik campground in Whiteshell Provincial Park for the weekend. “My son. He was great. He was very helpful for everyone," said Danish.
On Saturday morning, they hiked to Sturgeon Falls. Shortly before noon, Usaid was climbing down the rocks, when he slipped and fell into the water.
“I heard the scream and I turned towards him and he was just slipping over there,” Danish said.
The boy went under almost immediately, disappearing into the rushing water.
“I just couldn’t do anything, anything for him. He just went over there and within two seconds he was in the rapids. I don’t know how to swim so I couldn’t save him," said Danish.
RCMP said a bystander tried to save Usaid but could not pull him to shore.
The Mounties' underwater recovery team scoured the area all day Saturday until sundown.
“I searched on my own. Going here, there, everywhere. Looking for something to find right. There was nothing,” sais Usaid's uncle, Muhammad Ovais Syed.
The search continued all day Sunday, to no avail.
“We believe they’re trying their best and we can see they’re trying their best,” said Syed.
Danish said it's an awful feeling. “It’s just a horrible memory because my whole family was here. Everybody saw him drowning and we couldn’t do anything for him.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.