One man is dead and another is clinging to life after being pulled from Bala Falls west of Bracebridge, Ont., police say.
The men had entered the fast-moving water to rescue a nine-year-old female family member, who survived the incident.
The dead man's name is Nadim Shah, 44, who was visiting from Hanover, Ill.
The child was wearing a life jacket as she played in the water. However, she had drifted from shore.
Aliyah Shah, Nadim's wife, watched the horrifying incident unfold.
"My niece, she just near the water, and she fell in the water," she said. "She want help, so they go behind her, and after a few minutes, my son, he save her. And my husband and brother-in-law, I couldn't see (them)."
A statement from the Ontario Provincial Police said the men "encountered difficulty" in the water shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.
"They were located by emergency services personnel who immediately responded to this tragic incident," the release said.
Const. Peter Leon told ctvtoronto.ca that the two had no vital signs when they were pulled from the water. Authorities originally said that both men had died.
However, Jim Sawkins, fire chief of Muskoka township, told ctvtoronto.ca that while the men were "VSA" when police left, his responders managed to restore a pulse in one. Ghulam Badar, 53, is in critical condition and on life support at Royal Victoria hospital in Barrie. He had first been transported to hospital in Bracebridge.
Wednesday's tragedy occurred on the same day the last of three men who drowned at Moon River Falls was recovered from the water by police divers.
Actually, Bala Falls is the outlet for Lake Muskoka to flow into the Moon River. The two tragedies are separated in distance by about 15 kilometres.
There are several parts to the Bala Falls, which are more imposing than the Moon River ones further downstream. "It's an attraction; it's a beautiful sight to see, but there's no reason for anyone to venture into the water for any reason," Leon said.
Sawkins said if one were driving on Highway 169 through Bala towards Gravenhurst, the drowning site would be downstream of the highway but still within Bala. It's at the site where the dam was closed to reduce the flow in the Moon to assist in recovering the drowning victims there, he said.
Both Sawkins and Leon noted that heavy rainfall in the area in recent days has left the current faster and the water more turbid than usual.
"All of our water bodies are experiencing unique issues when it comes to the flow and the speed of the water as a result of the rain," Leon said. "Any body of water that one who isn't familiar with, we're obviously urging the public to view it from a safe distance and certainly not to put yourself in harm's way."
Sawkins said people shouldn't swim in that portion of Bala Falls at the best of times. "It's pretty rough water," he said.
This marks a rough week for Muskoka firefighters. They also responded to a plane crash that left prominent Toronto financier Jack Lawrence and another person dead, he said.
