$7,000 raised for family of man who died saving teens

Cousin says they want to see changes to make Kincardine pier safer

After hearing that the sunsets in Kincardine, Ont., were “nothing to miss,” a Mississauga man and his family decided to take a day trip there to watch on Sept. 3.

The outing ended in tragedy after two sisters, Raabia and Zeanna Basaria, were knocked into Lake Huron by a wave that washed them off the pier. Their cousin, Aleem Ramji, drowned after jumping in to rescue the teenagers.

A Kincardine resident who started a Facebook page to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kincardine Strong, has now created a GoFundMe page to help Ramji’s family with funeral and other expenses.

“There were a lot of people on the Kincardine page who were messaging, really concerned, wanting to do something for the family, wanting to support,” said organizer Meagan Fair. “So they put me in contact with the cousin of Aleem.” The GoFundMe page gained more than $7,000 in donations in less than 24 hours, Fair said.

“Meagan, I can’t thank you enough for creating this for our family. Words cannot express our gratitude,” Raabia Basaria said in a message posted by Fair.

In another post, Basaria described what happened the day of the accident.

She and Zeanna had ventured to the end of the pier when “the water came spilling over on the pier, very soothing and relaxing. It was hard to tell how strong (the waves) were until, suddenly, the first wave knocked us both down to the ground … we tried to get up. Before we could, a strong second wave swept us into the lake.”

When Ramji and the girls’ mother, Fauzia, were unable to find help, Ramji jumped into the water himself. But Raabia described how the waves kept knocking them all back and separating Ramji from his cousins.

Eventually, both girls made it to shore with the help of a bystander with a life ring.

“If Aleem hadn’t jumped in, both my sister and I wouldn’t have had the strength to make it back to shore safely. He used all his might to try and make sure we would survive,” Raabia wrote.

First responders performed CPR and later transported Ramji to Kincardine’s local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Fair added that this isn’t the first such incident to take place in Kincardine. “Almost every year we tend to have fatalities at the beach from people underestimating the power of the lake and what waves to watch for,” she said.

While Ramji’s family appreciates the financial and moral support, “more importantly for their healing, they want to see changes happening at the lake,” Fair said.

Raabia said in her GoFundMe message she wants “to ensure the safety of the people and visitors of Kincardine when it comes to the pier.”

The changes being sought include “an alert system set up at the beach where people can better take into consideration what the wind speeds are and to get direction to sort of know what that risk is,” Fair said.

Raabia described Ramji as “the type of person who wouldn’t think twice about putting someone else’s life before his. He was selfless, genuine and brave. He was the pillar of our family and always knew when we needed him … As hard as it is to accept that he is no longer with us, it is satisfying to know that he died doing what he knew best — to be a hero.”

Ramji had been living in China for six years teaching English, but had been unable to return to the country due to the pandemic. Besides his cousins and two aunts, Fauzia and Safia, he left his mother, Shamira, and sister, Shazin.

“As hard as it is to accept that he is no longer with us, it is satisfying to know that he died doing what he knew best — to be a hero.”

RAABIA BASARIA ABOUT HER COUSIN, ALEEM RAMJI, ABOVE, WHO DROWNED WHILE RESCUING HER AND HER SISTER