SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Rescue crews airlifted a boy to the hospital after, officials said, he was pulled unresponsive from a canal in Southwest Miami-Dade, Sunday afternoon.
Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the near-drowning in the area of Southwest 127th Place and 204th Lane, at around 4 p.m.
“Upon arrival, our skin divers entered the water and immediately pulled the child out of the water,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay.
Witness Gisela Pauli told 7News she saw crews pulling the boy out of the water. “They pulled him out, and I seen them just give him CPR,” she said. “I seen how they were grabbing him, and they pulled him up to the truck, and they started giving him CPR. He’s a young boy, so they have to do it fast.”
Paramedics airlifted the child to Kendall Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
Lay said they had initially received reports of multiple children in the water, but the boy was the only one in the canal.
Officials are attempting to determine the circumstances behind the incident. “We don’t know how the child wound up in the canal,” said Lay.
Lay also took the opportunity to remind families to observe safety precautions whenever they are near a body of water. “Please be mindful that there are a lot of waterways, and for kids and adults who don’t know how to swim, stay clear,” he said.
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