OTTAWA -- A two-year-old boy has drowned after he was reported missing at Petrie Island.
Emergency crews were called to the beach along the Ottawa River for reports of a missing child around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Police say the Ottawa Fire Water Rescue Team located the boy without vital signs in the Ottawa River.
"Paramedics rushed the child to hospital, where despite medical interventions, he was pronounced deceased," police said in a statement.
Police say the family and the first responders who attended the call are receiving support.
Lifeguards are currently not on duty at Ottawa's public beaches, including Petrie Island. The city announced last week that lifeguards will be on duty starting June 27.
In a statement on Facebook, Orleans Councillor Matt Luloff said the community is in mourning.
"Our hearts are broken to hear the news of the death of a young child in our community. A family has suffered an immeasurable loss," writes Luloff.
I am asking our community to give this family space and to refrain from speculation of any kind. Love and kindness is needed more than ever tonight."
Ottawa Police say the investigation into the drowning continues, "as per police policy for the sudden death of a child under the age of five."
