A man looks at a flooded farm field from a deliberate breach of a dike on the Assiniboine River near Newton, Manitoba
A man looks at a flooded farm field from a deliberate breach of a dike on the Assiniboine River near Newton, Manitoba May 17, 2011. Saturday's deliberate breach has caused floodwaters to surround only three homes by Monday as warm dry weather helped the Canadian Prairie province control the river's highest levels on record. Reuters/Shaun Best

Two Canadian men were charged with aggravated sexual assault and attempted murder against a teenager. According to Winnipeg police, the accused attacked another woman on the night they assaulted the teenage girl.

The 16-year-old teenager was identified as Rinelle Harper from Manitoba. The identification of the girl was an unusual step by officers. It was done with the permission of the parents to crack the case with additional information. According to investigators, Harper was attacked near a bridge downtown while she was out with her friends. Harper was allegedly beaten by the suspects who left her last Friday, November 7, in the icy water of the Assiniboine River to die. However, Harper had the strength to pull herself onto a walkway. A passer-by discovered her there next morning and took her to hospital where she was admitted in critical condition, National Post reported. Later she was upgraded to stable condition. Investigators also said that the attack against Harper was "sexual in nature." Surveillance footage captured from a nearby building has reportedly played a key role in identifying the two men and retracing the girl.

According to CTV News, the suspects were a teenage boy and a man. They started a conversation with Harper and started walking with her around midnight. They eventually assaulted her and threw her to the river. When she tried crawling out of the river, they assaulted her for the second time. The suspects allegedly attacked the teenager with a weapon. She was sexually assaulted and her upper body was injured. The homicide unit started the investigation as the initial attack against Harper was of serious nature. Harper's school Southeast Collegiate issued a statement last Wednesday. It said that the school was "extremely thankful of the remarkable progress" Harper made since she had been found injured. The school wished its 16-year-old student a speedy recovery. It was hoped that she would soon go back to school.

The suspects are kept in custody, according to officers. The 17-year-old teenager, who faces charges for sexual assault with a weapon, aggravated sexual assault and attempted murder, is unidentified. The other suspect who faces same charges is identified as 20-year-old Justin James Hudson from Winnipeg.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au