6-year-old removed from life support days after water park accident

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) – A 6-year-old boy has been taken off life support after he nearly drowned at a Nebraska water park.

Omaha police confirmed the boy died Wednesday after the near-drowning at Fun-Plex over the weekend.

The 6-year-old was identified by his first name only, Kidus.

Officers were called to the water park last Sunday for a report of a child who was underwater and pulled from the wave pool.

He was taken to a nearby hospital and later transferred to Children’s Hospital, but he was removed from life support and died Wednesday.

Kidus’ mother Makda Gebre set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses and transportation of his body to the family’s hometown of Sioux City, Iowa, which is about 100 miles north of Omaha.

“We are heartbroken as we have to ask for help to bury our son ... We were hoping for a miracle, but sadly we had to make the decision to remove him from life support as his brain was showing no activity,” the GoFundMe page reads.

His mother said Kidus had a twin sister and described him as a “sweet” son who was “everything to our family.”

Fun-Plex has since been closed and will remain closed through Wednesday.

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