Calgary boy, 12, who drowned in Mahogany Lake is laid to rest - BERITAJA

It was a highly affectional segment astatine the Calgary Muslim Cemetery, conscionable eastbound of Cochrane, connected Wednesday afternoon.

Dozens of mourners gathered to salary their respects to Damilola Afolabi and his family, arsenic they laid the 12-year-old boy to rest.

The family invited BERITAJA to be the funeral.

Damilola’s father, Jabreel Afolabi, was truthful flooded pinch condolences he crumpled to the crushed and was comforted by friends passim the funeral.

“This is simply a beautiful young family that came successful from Ghana to find a amended spot for their children,” said family friend Patrick Adda.

“They came successful here, they had nary one, and each of america present were for illustration angels that came into their lives to spot really champion we could thief them migrate into the champion spot to unrecorded and work.”

Damilola’s mother was excessively distraught to talk, truthful his begetter said for the family and recalled their joyousness of moving to Canada.

“When we committee the flight, he said that this is my champion ever life… until this untimely decease appears and takes my boy distant from me.”

Sharing memories of his son, Afolabi said, “He loved to make friends, he loved people. No matter what they look like, nary matter what they spoke, he wants to beryllium pinch friends.”

On Sunday, Damilola ended up going to Mahogany Lake. Unfortunately, he couldn’t swim.

Around 7:20 p.m. EMS sewage a telephone that “a younker had gone missing successful the water.”

Paramedics, on pinch members of the Calgary Fire Department’s aquatics team, responded and aft speaking pinch witnesses, CFD divers entered the lake, which is complete 7 metres (23 feet) deep.

The h2o was not only very cold, but the divers reported that visibility beneath the aboveground was besides rather limited.

Divers yet recovered the kid astatine the bottommost of the lake, brought him to the aboveground and transferred him to the attraction of EMS.

The kid was rushed to hospital, wherever he later passed away.

A occurrence section spokesperson said from the clip 911 was called until the boy was pulled from the lake, he had been nether the frigid waters for 43 minutes.

A GoFundMe account has been group up to thief the family screen the costs of “honoring his memory” and different expenses.

It describes Afolabi arsenic “a humble and respectful psyche gone excessively soon” but whose memories his family and friends “will transportation forever.”

“The meaning of Dami (Damilola) is you are bringing the joyousness and the happiness — that is the meaning of his name,” said his father.

“But coming location is nary more. I ne'er prayed that I will beryllium the 1 to hide my son.