11-year-old girls hailed as heroes for saving young boy from drowning

CTV Montreal: Young girl a hero An 11-year-old girl is being hailed as a hero for preventing a young boy from drowning in a Lachine pool.

Two 11-year-old girls are being hailed as heroes for rescuing a young boy from drowning in a Lachine pool.

Elyla Jennings and Shana-Maude Curadeau were at the Lachine public pool on Sunday when another girl asked her for help, pointing to her brother under the water.

“The little boy had a sister and his sister told me ‘Can you get my brother under water?’” said Curadeau. “I thought it was a joke.”

Jennings said she saw him in the deep end and dove down to help.

"I was tapping him to see if he would get up and he wouldn't get up," said Jennings. "He didn't move, and I went back down and got him and I pulled him up. I put him on a platform and got him."

Lifeguards and other came to their side as they pulled him to a platform.

“I put my hands under his arms. I got him out of the water,” Curadeau said.

Once out of the water, lifeguards began performing CPR. The 10-year-old boy reportedly survived.

Jennings said her livesaving efforts weren't too difficult, even if she's only 11.

"I didn't find it scary – I wasn't scared," she said, adding that she's "happy."

Curadeau’s mother Marie-Eve Curadeau and Jennings's father Aaron Jennings both said they're “very proud” of their daughters.

“I hugged her. I asked her what happened and she told me the story a bit and a lot of people tell me they saw her doing it,” she said.

Witness Josee Ouellette recounted what she saw.

“I heard Shana-Maude scream and I got up. She was already in the water, holding the boy and yelling for help,” she said.

"I went and bought the girls McDonald's," said Aaron Jennings. "They both did a great job."

Curadeau and Jennings are now both expressing interest in becoming a lifeguard.

According to Quebec’s Lifesaving Society there have been 46 drownings in the province so far this year, with many taking place in lakes and rivers. Director Raynold Hawkins said when it comes to pools, it’s important for lifeguards and swimmers to work together.

“You’re going to have some waves at the surface and the waves with the sun reflections, it can be hard for the lifeguard to find someone directly,” he said. “The patrons can help the lifeguards.”

Hawkins added that parents should always be watching their children, even if they’re strong swimmers.