The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is extending their condolences to the families of two Barrhaven 17-year-olds who died on Wednesday evening after falling through ice on the Rideau River.
CTV News confirms Ahmed Haitham and Riley Cotter attended John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa’s south-end.
“This is very sad news for us all. This tragedy will be felt deeply by students and staff in our community. We have reached out to the families of the students, and have extended condolences on behalf of the JMSS community,” OCDSB spokesperson Diane Pernari said in a statement
“Our first priority is to ensure that we are supporting the families of the students and our school community in any way that we can. Communication was shared with the school community yesterday.”
The OCDSB has made a mental health team available to support students. Staff requiring assistance can connect with the district’s Employee and Family Assistance Program.
The mental health team will be on site on Jan. 8 to support students and staff.
“At this time, we do not have any additional information to share,” the OCDSB said.
Police found the bodies of Haitham and Cotter after an extensive search that concluded on Thursday evening. A group of four teenagers fell through the ice on the Rideau River.
A GoFundMe page set up in memory of Haitham said Ahmed and his friends had gone out for a skate at Nicolls Island Wednesday night.
Two teenagers were treated with mild symptoms of hypothermia and one search diver was injured.
The Coroner’s Office is investigating the deaths of the two teens.
