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LAKE PERRIS, Calif. () — A father who drowned in Lake Perris on Saturday was helping to keep his 7-year-old son alive after their kayak capsized, according to authorities.
According to Lake Perris State Recreation Area (SRA), California State Park peace officers responded to reports of screaming and people in distress in the water near Moreno Beach shortly after 4 p.m.
The video above is from a previous report.
The 54-year-old father and his son had been kayaking on the lake when their kayak capsized, officials said. Neither of them was wearing a lifejacket, according to Lake Perris SRA.
Officers arrived and immediately recovered the man, who officials said was unconscious and partially submerged. The child was reportedly in distress but conscious and holding his father, helping to keep himself above water.
Investigators said the father heroically kept his son afloat, supporting him until officers arrived.
After officials pulled them both from the lake, they immediately began CPR on the father.
The father and son were taken to the hospital, where the father was pronounced dead, Lake Perris SRA said. The 7-year-old was also taken to the hospital but is expected to be OK.
The drowning incident remains under investigation by California State Parks law enforcement and the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.
Lake Perris SRA said all visitors are urged to wear a properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket. They also noted that California law requires children 12 and under to wear a lifejacket on any vessel.
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