Family of drowning victim wants safety equipment, memorial at Peggys Cove
CBC
Zarin Barot was visiting his brother, Harshil, at his new home in Halifax last week, when a group of their friends decided to visit the popular tourist site of Peggys Cove.
Barot said his brother loved sunsets and nature, so they decided to go onto the rocks while the tide was low to watch the sunset over the water.
Barot said his brother slipped on the rocks, and when he tried to save him, he fell as well. By this time the tide was rising and both were swept into the water.
"I tried to grab Harshil, who tried to grab me. We tried to hold on to each other, but the tide was too high and my foot got stuck on one of the rocks, you know. And Harshil just kept going further," Barot said in an interview from his home in Toronto.
Barot said after some time in the water, he lost consciousness and woke up the next day in an intensive care unit.
He wants his brother to be remembered, and the family wants change at Peggys Cove. They said they never want such a tragedy to happen to anyone else.
The Barot family is from Mehsana, in the Gujarat state of India. Both brothers came to Canada in 2020. Harshil moved to Halifax recently for a job.
Barot said his brother was energetic and always looked on the bright side of things.
"He's always happy. He liked to travel, he liked to dress up, he liked to eat. And he's always a people's person," he said.
"And it's really hard to swallow the fact that he's not between us."
The family also said Harshil was a devout Hindu who was adventuresome and always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow. He loved sports, boating and animals.
"He had a lot of friends, like a lot of people," Barot said. "Within 24 hours, whoever got the news, they just made it over here. A couple of them even flew in from India."
Barot said the local Indian community offered support and guidance to his family. They met the family in hospital and helped plan the funeral and a ceremony.
Once the brothers fell into the water, their friends called 911. Police, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre, the coast guard, fire crews and paramedics responded to the call around 8:30 p.m. AT on April 11.
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