Quebec swimmer who went missing in the Jacques-Cartier River found dead

The distressed swimmer who disappeared in the Jacques-Cartier River on Friday evening was found dead Saturday morning by the search and rescue teams.

The body of the victim, a man in his twenties, was recovered at around 9 a.m. about 150 m downstream from the scene of the disappearance, said the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

The search resumed at 6 a.m. on Saturday in the Jacques-Cartier National Park, located about fifty kilometres north of Quebec.

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The deployment described as “significant” included rescuers, divers, a ground group and a helicopter.

Around 6 p.m. the day before, the SQ police were called to go on Chemin du Parc-National in Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury regarding a person in distress in the Jacques-Cartier River.

According to initial information collected by the SQ, two swimmers were in the river, without a boat and without a life jacket.

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“These people were moving along the current of the river and at one point, one of the people disappeared. The searches started yesterday (Friday) and continue this morning (Saturday),” said SQ spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp in an interview.

It was the other swimmer, who was able to return to shore, who contacted the emergency services.

An investigation is underway to clarify the causes and circumstances of the tragedy.