ARIZONA (KRON) — Twin toddlers drowned after their stroller rolled into a canal while their mother fended off bees, according to Arizona police.
Alexis Keslar–the mother of the 18-month-old twins–was walking with her sons along a canal in Yuma, Arizona when a bee flew near her. While swatting the bee away, the stroller rolled over the edge of the canal, plunging into the water with the twins strapped in.
“The stroller rolled away from her into the canal, with the boys belted in the seat,” police said Monday.
Keslar jumped in to save her sons, but the depth of the water, the fast currents and the steep canal walls prevented the rescue. The current washed away the stroller.
Keslar jumped out of the water and called for help, according to police.
Canal officials lowered the water levels to search for the boys. The boys were located after an hour of searching and flown to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.
“No parent should ever have to lose a child, you know, let alone both of them at the same time,” said family friend Marlene Gleim. “That’s what really, really is heartbreaking to me, because those little boys were, you know, meant so much to so many people.”
The paths, which are primarily used by joggers and bicyclists can be dangerous, according to authorities.
“Many people typically do not comprehend how swift the current in these canals are and how deep the water can be,” Yuma police said. “They also do not realize how difficult it is to climb back up many of the canal embankments.”