A family is devastated after a 15-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries Monday morning after a drowning incident.
Mohamed Ndimurwanko was found unconscious floating in the Marcellin-Wilson complex on Dudemaine St. in Cartierville shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday
The pool was closed to the public at the time of the incident.
“I feel so bad,” said the boy’s father Issa Ndimurwanko. “The mother of my son, she doesn't talk, she doesn't want to eat.”
It's believed that the teen hopped the fence to gain access to the pool. He was playing with friends in the nearby park when he left to get a drink of water and never returned.
“I say to parents to take time with their kids to spend time with them. Go out if it's possible with them to be sure where they are,” said the boy’s father.
Police said the incident is not a criminal matter and Urgence-Sante said they could only confirm the boy was taken to hospital in critical condition and could not comment on how long the boy was in the water or if he had any swimming skills.
Raynald Hawkins of the Quebec Lifesaving Society said the boy would have been supervised if he had been swimming during opening hours.
"Usually when we open a facility like this, we need many lifeguards on duty," he said. "That's why we explain to everyone to make sure they follow the safety rules with the lifeguard. When the pool is closed, it's not appropriate to try to climb and go swim inside this area."
So far in 2018, there have been 25 confirmed drownings in Quebec, down slightly from 27 at the same time the previous year.
