Young Child From Canada Drowns in Molalla River

Officials consider the incident a tragic accident.

Salem-News.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office had the sad duty of locating a small child Monday at Feyer Park, in Molalla. Sheriff's Office Spokesman, Detective Jim Strovink, says they learned by Monday evening that the child had died.

The child is identified as 5-year old Markian Barsukoff of Alberta, Canada.

"Markian was here in Oregon, visiting with his family to attend a wedding and family reunion," Strovink said.

The accidental drowning occurred in the Molalla River Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. Strovink says a Clackamas County Sheriff's deputy who responded to the scene and assisted in performing CPR on a child pulled from the Molalla River, has confirmed and provided this additional information from Feyer Park: "The families gathered together were reunited for a scheduled wedding; with family members arriving from out-of-state and country to attend this ceremony and family reunion."

Family members discovered that the 5-year-old child was discovered as missing and all family members immediately fanned out in search of the missing child. One of the Aunt's of this child went into the Molalla River searching for the child and discovered the child submerged in knee-deep water in the middle of this Molalla River. Strovink says it is possible the child may have been submerged for as long as ten-minutes prior to being discovered the by the Aunt and removed from the river. Molalla Fire rescue personnel arrived on scene and Life Flight was summoned to for an emergency airlifting of the patient to Emanuel Hospital, in Portland.

Rescue personnel indicate the child did not appear to be breathing while being prepared for Life Flight transport to Emanuel Hospital.

Clackamas County Deputy Sheriff's deputies on scene conducted interviews with witnesses and reported that this does not appear to be anything – but a tragic accident.