Drowning at Britannia Beach: 9-year-old boy dies after being pulled from the Ottawa River

A nine-year-old boy died in hospital after being pulled from the Ottawa River at Britannia Beach.

Emergency crews responded to a call at approximately 3:50 p.m. Monday for a child found unresponsive in the water.

Bystanders and police performed CPR on the victim until paramedics arrived at the scene.

Ottawa police said Wednesday morning the child died in hospital.

“We want to thank the bystanders and first responders for their valiant efforts in attempts to save him,” police said in a statement.

Witnesses told CTV News Ottawa they saw the boy under the water.

“It hurt my heart, big time. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” witness Rachel Padden said Monday afternoon.

The drowning happened on one of the warmest days of the year in Ottawa, with the temperature warming up to 28 C.

Lifeguards are not yet posted at Britannia Beach. The City of Ottawa says supervised swimming will begin June 15 at Britannia, Mooney’s Bay and Petrie Island beaches. 

Police are asking anyone who was present at Britannia Beach when the incident occurred and have not yet spoken to investigators, to contact the West Criminal Investigations Section at 613-236-1222, ext. 2666.

With files from CTV’s Ted Raymond and Shaun Vardon