The two boys swept away in fast-moving rapids in what police have called suspected drownings have been identified as brothers, with a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for their family.
Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, and Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, were at Whiteshell Provincial Park on Saturday at Nutimik Lake near Sturgeon Falls Trail.
Officers received the report of the possible drowning at about 12:40 p.m. on Saturday. On arrival, emergency officials learned the two boys had fallen into the rapids.
RCMP said the boys were on the shoreline when the 10-year-old slipped on the rocks and fell into the water.
“Instinctively the 13-year-old went in to try and retrieve him and both ended up getting caught in the current and washed down the falls,” said Staff Sgt. Cory Meyers.
He said while it has not become a recovery operation at this time, both boys were seen going under the water and did not resurface.
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Neither boy were wearing life jackets.
Harry Thiessen and Allison Baker-Thiessen, owners of Nutimik Lodge, identified the boys in a GoFundMe campaign post.
“We are here today asking for the community to come together to help raise funds for the devastating situation and help the family with some of the funeral expenses,” the couple wrote.
The couple said they, alongside RCMP, Manitoba Parks and Manitoba Conservation received the report of the possible drownings.
“The boys have not been found and we really want them to be found for the family to get closure,” Baker-Thiessen told reporters.
HEART, a non-profit, is supporting the RCMP with search efforts and is surveying the area where the boys fell in, a stretch of water coordinatory Paul Maendal says is fast moving.
“It’s very difficult to get a scan there because of the wind, the waves today,” Maendal said.
A statement from Parks Canada says there’s signage on the trail to warn people of dangers and they’ll be considering other safety measures.
But Baker-Thiessen said she’s hopeful changes are made so something like the boys’ suspected drowni0ng doesn’t happen again.
“There is no protection there right now,” she said.
—with files from Global News’ Vasilios Bellos
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