The unexpected ordeal left the family in tears as a young boy dies in a retention pond. A 5-year old child, Raheel Uddin was retrieved from a retention pond.
When the child was missing, the emergency crews were informed at around 4:30 PM. Based on the police report, Uddin died at some time after he was retrieved from the water.
According to Saima Jamal, co-founder of the Syrian Refugee Support Group, Uddin and his family came to Canada from Bangladesh and reached out to the support center around 3 years ago. The boy was diagnosed with autism and attracted to water.
Special care
The child could not speak, had seizures and other distinct qualities. Uddin’s mother, Rozina Mina had to monitor him 24/7. Mina recently left her job as a paralegal 2 years ago, so she can take care of the boy on a full-time basis. Several family members were home when the boy went missing. The family believes the boy might have exited via the back door before he went to the retention pond.
According to Mina, Uddin recently completed kindergarten and going to start Grade 1 in September at the Providence School.
On Friday afternoon, Uddin was found in the water by a concerned resident who was out for the missing boy. The officers on the scene quickly initiated CPR before the arrival of the EMS at the pond around 5:15 PM.
The body was initially transported to the Peter Lougheed Centre in a serious condition after he was pulled from the retention pond.
According to Chief Harley Spate of the Calgary Fire Department Battalion, children should wear life jackets when on or near bodies of water and warns parents to closely monitor when playing near lakes, ponds and rivers in Calgary.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a class in CPR training and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid/cpr