A young boy passed away in hospital after falling into an in-ground pool in Pierrefonds on Monday afternoon.

According to Montreal police, the child, 5, was playing in a backyard of a home on Saint-Croix St. with his brother when he fell into the pool.

The 10-year-old brother attempted to pull the child out, but ended up falling in as well, according to SPVM spokesperson Raphael Bergeron.

“One of the kids fell off, and the other one probably tried to pull him out but also fell into the pool,” he explained. “After that, it’s still to be clarified by the investigators what exactly happened.”

The in-ground pool - located inside a fenced backyard - was closed at the time, according to Bergeron.

But the child's screaming attracted the attention of a neighbour, who jumped in and tried to pull the boys from the water. 

The five-year-old child was rushed to hospital for emergency care around 5:30 p.m. after paramedics determined he was in cardiac arrest.

Attempts to resuscitate him on-scene were unsuccessful, the neighbour said.

The 5-year-old was officially pronounced dead in-hospital.

The second child was treated for serious injuries, but police believe he will pull through.

SPVM officers say there were adults in the area at the time; however it’s unclear whether the child’s parents were nearby.

The file was transferred to the Quebec Coroner's office.

Some municipalities have called for home owners to retro-fit their pools with advanced locking mechanisms or intermediate fences - but there are no by-laws of this type currently enforced in Pierrefonds.

But advocates, however, say this tragic death could be the necessary push to get officials to consider making improvements.

"What we have before 2010 is the municipality controlled the accessibility for the neighbours," explained Reynald Hawkins from the Life-Saving Society. "Since 2010, the obligation is to have the fourth side of the fence between the house and the in-ground pool - or, with the above ground pool, if you have a deck between the above ground pool."

"That's why it's very important; we need to control the accessibility," Hawkins added.