Newcomer to Saskatoon drowns at Lake Diefenbaker while trying to help others
CBC
A Saskatoon man drowned Saturday while trying to help others whose inflatable boat had gotten stranded in Lake Diefenbaker.
Raza Aziz, 35, had recently moved to Canada from Peshawar, Pakistan, and was a newcomer in Saskatoon.
Abdul Majeed Qureshi, a relative of Aziz's, said he recently travelled from Calgary to help Aziz and his family set up their household.
"The fact that he died in helping somebody else, died in service of humanity, that shows you what kind of person he was," Qureshi said.
"Whoever has seen him, they can't forget how charming, how helpful, how cheerful he was. May Allah bless him. He was a very nice person."
Qureshi said Aziz had spotted three women in an inflatable boat stranded in the lake, with their paddles tangled in weeds. He said something had pricked a hole in their boat, which started deflating and caused the passengers to panic.
Without a second thought, Qureshi said, Aziz dove in. However, he drowned before he reached them.
"His feet got tangled in that weed, just like a fishing net. The ladies could not reach him," Qureshi said.
Qureshi said Aziz's burial will take place in Calgary. Aziz is survived by a 12-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter.
Outlook RCMP received a report at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday of a drowning on Lake Diefenbaker, according to a police news release. Police, as well as Outlook and Elbow fire rescue personnel, began search efforts. They found Aziz's body at about 7:15 a.m. Sunday.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service also attended the scene and ordered an autopsy. Police said their preliminary investigation indicated there was no criminality involved.
Hanan Khan, whose wife was among the women on the boat, was at the scene Saturday evening.
He said Aziz was a dear friend and the two were planning on starting a business together. He said Aziz wanted to be a Canadian citizen and was "a fighter doing two jobs."
"Raza was a gem. We used to meet every other day. I have never seen a precious person like him," he said. "He came to this country with dreams. We used to often discuss our future plans."
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