Afghan teen in US dies after falling through frozen pond
Afghan teen in US dies after falling through frozen pond
Over the holiday weekend, when dozens of people across the US died from severe winter weather, an Afghan refugee in Virginia died after falling into a frozen pond.
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Zadran spent time in multiple countries before arriving in the US as an Afghan refugee. [Getty]
A teenager who died from falling through an ice pond during a winter cold snap on the US east coast over the weekend has been identified as an Afghan refugee.
The 19-year-old, who died on 24 December after he fell through a frozen pond in northern Virginia, has been identified as Shahzada Zadran, who had arrived in the US as a refugee in September, after spending time in Pakistan, Qatar and Kosovo, according to a local news report.
Family, friends and the Muslim community gathered for a prayer service to pay tribute to Zadran at Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church in Virginia on Wednesday. Those who knew him spoke highly of him, saying that he had wanted to go the US to study.
“At this moment, all we can do is pray for him,” Ahmad Yusuf Zadran, the Afghan teen's brother, told WUSA9. “He was my everything.”
Zadran was with at least one other person, reportedly taking a walk together, when he fell into the icy water. The person who was with him also fell through the ice, but managed to get out to call an ambulance from a nearby home. Zadran's brother said he also fell into the pond trying to save him.
Zadran's body will be repatriated to Afghanistan, where most of his family lives.
Local authorities are using this tragedy to remind the public about safety protocols for cold weather. Around the same time over the Christmas weekend, more than 50 people died across the US due to severe winter weather.
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