HOWARD TOWNSHIP — An 11-year-old male drowned in a pool in Howard Township Saturday, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded to an address on M-51 in Howard Township at 8:58 p.m. Saturday and learned that during a pool party at the address, an 11-year-old male was found lying on the bottom of the pool. Other party attendees pulled the child to the surface of the water, and parents on the scene immediately started performing CPR.

The 11-year-old was transported to Lakeland Hospital in Niles, where he was pronounced deceased. The case remains under investigation, but officers believe it to be an accident.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan DNR, SMCAS, Niles City Fire Department, Pokagon Tribal Police and Howard Township Fire Department.