Ifran Jogiat, 19, remembered as a hero to many

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Irfan "Malawi" Jogiat left his Thorncliffe Park Drive apartment around 11 a.m. Saturday to spend an afternoon at Wasaga Beach with friends.

The 19-year-old was supposed to return by 9 p.m. but never did.

At 4:28 p.m., Jogiat drowned after police say he jumped from a dingy after it was blown into deeper water.

"He got on it without a life jacket because I think Wasaga is known for its shallow waters," Jogiat's sister Farhana Jogiat Khote said. "The wind probably just took him a bit far."

Two people heard the frantic cries for help from Jogiat's friends and located the young man. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

Jogiat Khote, 24, said her brother was a devout Muslim who prayed five times a day.

"He memorized the Koran at the age of 11. He knew the whole Koran by heart," she said. "He was like a hero to many, but for us he was like a diamond, a gem."

Jogiat was born in the African nation of Zambia but grew up in neighbouring Malawi. He came to Canada with his family in November of 2004.

Jogiat graduated from Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute in January and was attending a religious school in Ajax.

"He started for his degree program as an Islamic scholar," Jogiat Khote said. "He used to tutor kids, too, in the evening around the neighbourhood."

Jogiat Khote noted her brother wrote about death in his notebook before leaving for Wasaga. "We were just going through his stuff and we saw this," she said. "It shows that before he was going to go he knew what was going to happen."

A funeral took place Sunday.

"We're still at a great loss... We will never forget him," Jogiat Khote said.

Police are asking witnesses to the drowning to call OPP's Huronia West detachment at 705-429-3575.