A 9-year-old boy and his aunt drowned in the Lehigh River as family members watched in horror after the two were swept away while wading across a shallow area below a dam, authorities say. Emisilda Santana, 41, and her nephew Lizandro Santiago were pronounced dead of accidental drowning Sunday despite efforts by rescuers who pulled the victims from the water and administered emergency aid on the shore. The woman's husband, Jose Santiago, and the boy's mother, Maria Pacheco, both of Allentown, were comforted by friends at the scene. The victims were among a group of six who were walking through the rapids ``when the water came and took us,'' said Esperanca Santiago, 10, a cousin of Santiago and Mrs. Santana's niece. Esperanca's brother, sister and another cousin also were in the group, she said, but all survivors escaped injuries. One child was hanging piggy-back on Mrs. Santana as the group struggled to shore, Esperanca said. She said Lizandro could not swim and had to be pulled from a public swimming pool earlier this year. Robert Dougher, 41, of Bethlehem, a Conrail policeman, said he was nearby when children came running from the wooded bank crying for help. He ran down to the river and saw Mrs. Santiago floating face down near the shore. Dougher said he pulled her ashore and gave her mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation but ``I couldn't get any vitals.'' Other rescuers arrived and tried to resuscitate the woman while two police officers tied to ropes searched for the boy in the 5-to-6-foot deep water. Two fishermen in a boat downstream found the boy in about 6 to 8 feet of water. The victims were taken to two different hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
