[Global News]Trio killed in Alberta waterfall identified as parents of 3 and their nephew

A husband and wife — parents to three young children — died after being pulled under water at Crescent Falls in west-central Alberta on Tuesday.

A third person, the couple’s nephew, also drowned.

The Pakistan Canada Association of Edmonton (PCAE) identified the victims as Partab Oad, his wife Sonam and their nephew, Anoop Oad. The group also started a gofundme page to support the family.

Ahmer Nadeem Menon, with the Pakistan Canada Association of Calgary, said Dr. Partab Rai Oad and his wife Venijhar Sonam Oad were both 38. He said 25-year-old Anoop Kumar Oad was an exchange student.

Cpl. Laurel Scott, an RCMP media relations officer, said six members of the same family — five of whom lived together — were at the waterfall when one of the adults went swimming at the bottom of the falls.

“The first person got swept up in the undercurrent at the base of the falls and he didn’t come out,” Scott said. “The second person made an effort to rescue that first person, (and then) the second person didn’t come out. The third adult went to try and rescue the first two and that third adult didn’t come out.”

Scott said two of the three people in the water were the parents of three children watching from the shore.

A GoFundMe page set up in support of the family says Anoop was “swept away by strong currents” and his uncle, Partab, “tried to save him but was also caught up in the strong currents.”

It was then that his wife, Sonam, also jumped in and tried to rescue the men, but “was also taken.”

The page says the couple left behind three children, aged three, six and 10.

Police said the children at the scene were taken to a safe location on Tuesday night and have since been connected with other family members.

As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the fundraiser had collected roughly $19,000.

More to come…