Elderly man drowns in lake, child rescued

Elderly man drowns in lake, child rescued
Credit: Belga

A man in his 70s drowned on Wednesday in Lake Platte Taille, on the border between the provinces of Hainaut and Namur.

A six-year-old child who was swimming with him was rescued by witnesses, according to the Hainaut-East fire brigade.

The drowned man was a Briton who resided in Belgium, while the child is resident in Great Britain. According to local media, the child was the victim's grandson.

The two had entered a section of the lake where it is forbidden to swim and which was therefore unguarded, fire brigade spokesman Michel Méan said.

“Divers managed to find the victim quickly, at a depth of 6 to 7 meters,” he said. “Witnesses were able to save the child,” he added.

The exact circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear.


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