Heartbreaking video captures NYPD cops wading through black, chest-deep waters futilely trying to get into the basement apartment in Queens where a 2-year-old boy and his parents died during Hurricane Ida.
A brown teddy bear floats by as one cop struggles to make his way through the rising waters in the hallway, according to the footage tweeted out by the NYPD on Sunday.
An NYPD officer attempts to save the life of Lobsang Lama and his parents during the floods caused by Hurricane Ida on August 29, 2021. NYPD
According to the officers present, several obstacles including live electricity and locked doors posed a massive challenge for rescuers. NYPD
The police officers who attempted the rescue did not have the equipment needed to reach the family in time. NYPD
Officers were forced eventually to call the FDNY in for assistance. NYPD
Two-year-old Lobsang Lama, who perished with his mom and dad during the August 29, 2021 floods from Hurricane Ida. facebook“Without special equipment they made valiant efforts. Locked doors, rising water level & live electricity forced the officers to call for the @FDNY,’’ the NYPD wrote.
Tragically, 50-year-old Ang Gelu Lama, 48-year-old Mingma Sherpa and their son, 2-year-old Lobsang Lama, all drowned before rescuers could get to them.
An NYPD spokeswoman said the footage was from the department’s attempts to rescue the Queens family.
Flooding killed 13 people in New York City — 11 of them accidentally drowning in basement apartments, according to the city’s medical examiner.
