Boy, 5, stable after river mishap

A five-year-old boy is warded in a critical yet stable condition at Sangre Grande District Hospital after he was pulled out of a river unconscious yesterday morning.

According to police, the boy and relatives were bathing at Matura River when he went under water for a short period. Police said the family, who came from San Fernando, were in between the “adult and children pool” at the river and the incident took place in the “adult pool”.

Police said lifeguards tried to resuscitate the boy but were unsuccessful. Matura police took the him to the Matura Health Centre after being told an ambulance would take “a long time” to arrive. At the health centre, medical staff were able to resuscitate the boy before he was taken by ambulance to the district hospital. The child will remain there until he is stable enough to be transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. Police said they will not disclose the identity of the child as the matter is currently under investigation.