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On Tuesday there was a green flag flying over the beach at Mahogany Lake in southeast Calgary, a sign that the lake was open for swimming again.
But 48 hours earlier, the beach was a much grimmer scene as first responders pulled the body of 12-year-old boy from the bottom of the lake.
A green flag could be seen flying over the beach at Mahogany Lake on Tuesday, signifying the lake was safe for swimming.
Global News
His family has confirmed the boy was Damilola Afolabi, who had only been in Canada for two months.
He went missing around 7:20 p.m. Sunday and had been underwater for 43 minutes before he was pulled from the frigid lake.
He later died in hospital.
Friends describe Afolabi as a loving boy who was settling into his new community and making friends before his tragic passing.
His death is not the first such tragedy at Lake Mahogany, which is one of several community lakes in Calgary that don’t have lifeguards on duty.
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Just last summer, in August 2025, witnesses reported seeing a young man going under and not resurfacing.
As scuba divers searched for him, the belongings of another person were discovered on the beach, leading searchers to eventually recover the bodies of two 20-year-old men from the lake.
Members of the Calgary Fire Department aquatic rescue team along with EMS paramedics were also called out to the tragic drowning of two 20-year-old men in Lake Mahogany Lake in August 2025.
Global News
Peters Ike son Yagazie was one of those young men.
Since then he’s been advocating for safety improvements at the lake.
“I can relate to what they are going through right now,” said Ike.
“I know what it’s like — and that’s what we hoped we could prevent. I mean, for someone else not to experience what we experienced. So right now, it’s as if the whole thing just came back again.”
Ike claims his efforts included meetings with the Mahogany Homeowners Association, Calgary’s mayor, local city councillor and manager of the lake operations.
Among the changes he has advocated for is improved signage at the lake and an ability classification system for swimmers.
While Ike says there was a “collaborative spirit,” change hasn’t come base enough.
Peters Ike has been advocating for safety improvements at Mahogany Lake since his son was one of two 20-year-old young men who drowned in the lake in August 2025.
Global News
“It is about time, you know. There’s just another boy that’s very soon going to be put to rest — the first week of May, you already have one fatality.
“The season is just about starting — my view would be perhaps not timely enough.”
Global News contacted the Mahogany Homeowners Association to talk about what if any safety improvements have been made, but the association responded with a statement saying it wanted to allow the family time to grieve.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
