Boy in Crisis Center After Rescue from Vienna Danube Canal

The four-year-old boy, who was rescued from the Danube Canal in Vienna last week, has been discharged from the hospital. Since Tuesday, he has been in a crisis center of the Vienna Child and Youth Welfare (MA 11), as spokeswoman Ingrid Pöschmann told the APA. Currently, a residential risk assessment is taking place, which will also clarify how the incident occurred. According to Pöschmann, this could take several weeks.

Afterwards, it will be decided whether the children will return to their parents or be placed in foster care. Child protection is the top priority, said Pöschmann. The boy's seven-year-old brother was already taken from the family after the incident and brought to a crisis center. Due to an illness of one parent, the MA 11 has been supporting the family for two years with parenting advice and outpatient care. Pöschmann described the cooperation as good.

Passersby saw boy in Vienna Danube Canal

The four-year-old was seen by passersby floating motionless in the Danube Canal at noon on Thursday. A construction worker pulled the boy out of the water and began resuscitation. The team from the Vienna professional rescue service took over the child and brought him to a hospital. According to the police, the search for the parents was difficult due to the boy's poor German language skills. His parents only reported the boy missing around 9:00 PM.

The mother was reportedly alone with the younger child. The 42-year-old woman then called her husband in the afternoon to say she could no longer find the four-year-old. The parents then started the search. When they couldn't find the child, they went to the police. There, they claimed the son had only been missing for two hours. When the officers said the son had already been found at noon, the parents reportedly said they had been searching for their child and were upset.

Investigations ongoing

The 42-year-old mother was reported because the four-year-old was in her care at the time of the incident. The father is being treated as a witness. The investigations are still ongoing, a police spokesman told the APA on Wednesday.

(APA/Red)

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