Two young brothers presumed drowned at Manitoba provincial park as search continues

Crews continue to search for two young brothers following their presumed drownings at Whiteshell Provincial Park near Winnipeg, Manitoba RCMP said.

Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, and Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, were visiting the provincial park, 130 kilometres east of Winnipeg, over the weekend when the younger brother was swept into Nutimik Lake. Aaron then dove in to try and save his younger brother, before both were caught in the current.

The search is not being treated as a recovery mission. "We're still on task out here. Everyone's still fully engaged," Lac du Bonnet RCMP Staff Sergeant Cory Meyers told media Tuesday. As detachment commander, Meyers has been coordinating search resources.

One crew from the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART), a non-profit dedicated to underwater searches and recoveries, will use sonar imaging to map the lake bottom and identify underwater anomalies. Meanwhile, boaters and RCMP drones will search the shoreline. Meyers estimated approximately 10 RCMP members, five HEART team members, and about 20 community volunteers with four to five boats are continuously searching.

Lynne Stefanchuk, executive director of Lifesaving Society Manitoba, called the situation heartbreaking and stressed water safety. "Learn to swim. It really does make a difference to make you feel comfortable in the water and to give you some key safety skills," she said. She recommended that parents keep young children within arm's reach when near water and ensure everyone wears a well-fitted life jacket.