Montrealer drowns in Val-David lake, while search continues for others missing in Quebec

The weekend has been hot and tragic in Quebec’s lakes and rivers.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirmed the drowning of a Montrealer in a lake in Val-David in the Laurentians. As of Sunday morning, a search was underway to find two other missing persons in the province’s waters.

In Haute-Mauricie, the search resumed Sunday morning to find a man in his 50s who fell in the water on Saturday evening in the Saint-Maurice River in La Tuque.

A call was made to 911 at approximately 6 p.m. to report a man who fell into the water in the Rapides des Coeurs sector.

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“According to the first available information, they were two at the moment when the victim would’ve tried to get out of the (vessel) and would’ve fallen in the water. He was out of sight rapidly,” said SQ spokesperson Const. Valérie Beauchamp.

“This morning, searches were still underway to locate the victim. We have a watercraft on-site and SQ divers. There are also ground searches,” said Beauchamp.

The SQ divers were also at work Sunday morning, where a young man fell into the Sainte-Anne River, Saturday around 6 p.m., in Saint-Alban, about 80 kilometres east of Quebec City, during an outing with friends.

As of July 19, the Société de sauvetage has counted 52 drownings for the year 2020, compared to 36 at the same date last year.