Body pulled from St. Lawrence River that of missing boater: police

MONTREAL – Montreal police have confirmed that a body  pulled out of the St. Lawrence River Saturday morning in Montreal’s east end is that of missing boater Jean-François Geoffrion.

Geoffrion, 31, went missing after his boat collided with a cargo ship Tuesday evening in Montreal’s Old Port. A crane operator on the ship called 911 shortly after 9:45 p.m. when he saw debris in the water and reported seeing the silhouette of at least one person.

WATCH BELOW: Authorities search for missing boater

1:24 Search for missing boater

On Saturday, boaters spotted a body floating in the St. Lawrence River near l’Île Aux-Vaches and alerted police at around 9 a.m.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene and a recovery operation was launched from a dock near 36th Avenue and Notre-Dame Street East in Pointe-aux Trembles.

The body was brought to shore and according to police, was formally identified by family members Saturday afternoon.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Investigators also hope to locate and recover the shipwreck in order to understand the circumstances leading to the fatal collision.