Two-year-old boy swept away in storm-water drain managed to tread water until help arrived

A two-year-old boy swept hundreds of meters down a flooded storm-water drain in the Gordon suburb of Canberra, Australia, miraculously survived after managing to keep himself afloat until help arrived. Emergency services crews were called to Stace Place, which backs on to the open air drain, after family members reported the toddler missing shortly before 7.30pm on Saturday.

Kyle James was found floating in the drain, which police said was full of water and flowing quickly, about 500 meters from his home. Members of the public had pulled Kyle, who was dressed in a Superman suit, from the drain as intensive care paramedics arrived. Witnesses told paramedics Kyle kept himself afloat using strokes he had recently learned at swimming lessons.
He was treated for mild hypothermia and taken to Canberra Hospital in a stable condition. ACT Ambulance Service duty officer Chris Barry said Kyle sustained minor injuries, including scratches and bruising, after he was swept over three ledges in the waterway and came to a stop in a holding pool. He said Kyle, who has recently been tested for autism, was lucky to be alive but had reportedly been in good spirits when he was rescued.

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"I'd put it down to the fact that he didn't realize the danger he was in; children often don't realize that they're in trouble," he said. "It's very lucky it would appear he was able to swim and able to save himself." Stace Place resident Caleb Watt, who heard distressed screams around the time the toddler went missing on Saturday night, said the storm-water drain was often dangerously full after a lot of rain.