Child in life-threatening condition after being pulled from Calgary lake

A child is in critical condition at a Calgary hospital after being pulled from a city lake.

A young boy was rushed to hospital on Sunday after being pulled from Mahogany Lake in southeast Calgary.

Emergency crews were called to the lake around 7:15 p.m. for reports a child may have drowned.

Witnesses told firefighters that the youth had been playing basketball before he jumped off the dock and into the lake.

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Witnesses attempted to help him, but said he went below the surface of the water.

The Calgary Fire Department’s aquatic rescue team searched the lake with a rescue boat and a dive team.

Officials said the water was cold and visibility was poor.

The Calgary Police Service’s HAWCS helicopter was used to assist search efforts.

“The youth was pulled from the water by rescuers from a depth of just over six metres (20 feet),” the CFD said Monday.

EMS says the child, around the age of nine, was taken to the South Health Campus in life-threatening condition.

• READ MORE: ‘Hold on to one another and live like Caelan would live’: Grieving father of drowned 20-year-old man reflects on his son’s life

Last year, two 20-year-old men drowned at Mahogany Lake — a tragedy that rocked the community.

They were later identified by friends and family as Caelan Escalante and Yagazie Ike-Peters, remembered as faith-driven, community-focused young men.

In the wake of that incident, a petition calling for lifeguards at Calgary’s community lakes gathered several thousand signatures.

Water safety experts continue to stress that drowning can happen quickly and silently, and emphasize the importance of prevention, including wearing a life jacket.