Search for 11-year-old boy missing in St. Lawrence River continues

It’s day four now for the OPP as they continue to search for an 11-year-old boy from Ottawa who went missing in the St. Lawrence River.

The boy was on a boat near the Ed Huck Marine in Rockport with four other people. One adult was driving the boat with the three others on board when the boat was capsized by a large wave. The four other people are doing okay. Two were taken to a hospital in Kingston with minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the search for the boy continues.

“We’re working under a number of factors, a number of variables. We have wind speeds, we have water, water temperatures, currents — you name it — and not to mention the depth of the river” says OPP Constable Sandra Barr.

The OPP search team, diving unit, the fire department, and both the Canadian and U.S. border services are helping with this search. Community members have come forward with offers to help, too.

“Everybody’s talking about it. They are all hurting. This doesn’t happen around here,” says Bill Bangma, a local business owner in Rockport.

Several witnesses, including local business owners, residents and people on vacation, have provided the OPP with photos and details of the accident.

The OPP have recently found the boat that the boy had been on before it capsized.

“It’s yet to be recovered and pulled from the water. I expect that to be done shortly,” Barr says.

The OPP says the missing boy wasn’t wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated.