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PORT STANLEY – A London father, seeing his two sons struggling in the water at the main beach here, waded into the surf in a desperate attempt to save them even though he can’t swim, a family friend says.
Lifeguards were able to save the dad and his 17-year-old son, but they were unable to rescue a 14-year-old who didn’t resurface, sparking an extensive search by emergency crews and volunteers at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The police search-and-rescue effort continued on Monday.
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The missing swimmer, named Omar, had just graduated Grade 8 from Emily Carr elementary school in northwest London and was looking forward to starting at Mother Teresa secondary school with his brother, the family friend, Ahmad Bladia, told The Free Press on Monday.
“The waves were high, one of the kids was in (trouble). He (the father) went after him but they (the lifeguards) caught him (in the water). He (the dad) doesn’t know how to swim,” Bladia said, adding lifeguards also saved the missing boy’s older brother.
The father and brother of the missing youth were back at the beach on Monday, watching as the Ontario Provincial Police continued searching.
The family friend did not give the family’s last name. The father and brother declined comment.
The family is originally from Syria, having arrived here in September 2023, and the community has rallied around the them, Bladia said. “We have a strong community, we support one another. People want to help.”
He added the family was touched by the dozens of volunteers who formed a human chain Sunday evening and waded into the water to help search. “It was a very hard time but they appreciate everyone wanting to help. We really appreciate the Canadian community.”
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With ugly weather on Monday, police warned citizens against volunteering to search the Lake Erie waters.
Police have not confirmed the identity of the missing swimmer. But in a statement they said two people – a 44-year-old and a 17-year-old from London – were seen in distress in the lake early Sunday afternoon by the Central Eglin Beach Rescue Service. They were pulled from the water and brought ashore, where they told lifeguards a third person was still in the water, police said.
It’s believed the last drowning at Port Stanley’s main beach was in July 2016. Ingersoll native William Johnston, 18, drowned, though lifeguards managed to save a woman he was with at the beach.
Johnston’s drowning was the first at the main beach since August 2004, when eight-year-old Mitchell Temple-Medhurst went under during a supervised outing with other children from Madame Vanier Children’s Services in London.
ndebono@postmedia.com
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