A young boy who fell into a flooded creek last week is showing some improvement, one of his relatives said.

Samuel Gross, 8, fell into a creek last Thursday on the Westroc Hutterite Colony near Portage la Prairie.

The high, fast-running water sucked him into a culvert, and he remained under water for five to 10 minutes before being pulled out, unconscious.

He was airlifted to Winnipeg, where he remains in critical condition.

One of the boy's relatives said that while the youngster remains on life support, he is starting to breathe on his own.