A man who bathed Friday in a dangerous stretch of the St. Lawrence River is missing after being swept away by powerful currents near Cité-du-Havre in Montreal.
Photo QMI Agency, Maxime Deland
Firefighters, police and coast guard had failed to find the victim Friday evening on the St. Lawrence River.
“He got swept away in the current,” says Alexandre Borduas, who witnessed the possible drowning on Friday, while trying to save the victim.
Mr. Borduas is one of the many surfers who love the wave located opposite Habitat 67.
This is where the tragedy occurred, when a call was made to 911 at 3:35 p.m. for a man aged 30 to 40 in distress in the waters of the river.
According to Mr. Borduas, the victim is a man who had been coming for some time to observe the surfers from the banks.
Friday, however, he would have decided “to take off his clothes and go for a swim”.
“At the beginning, he went down the current, making signs of peace. Everything seemed to be going well,” continues Mr. Borduas.
But from one moment to another, the latter heard him shout “help”.
Photo QMI Agency, Maxime Deland
Dangerous
“At this place, it is the strongest current that we have around the island of Mont-réal”, maintains Mr. Borduas. He and other surfers often mention to the curious that it is dangerous to venture there.
The surfer immediately swam face down on his board to try to find the man for about fifteen minutes on the river, in vain.
The research involving firefighters from Montreal and Longueuil, the Coast Guard, the Sûreté du Québec and the SPVM, was abandoned on Friday with nightfall.
Hugo Lavictoire, owner of the KSF surfing company, explains that this place is safe for surfers because they are well equipped. But for swimmers, it’s a different story.
” That’s a very bad idea. There are very strong currents, whirlpools. If you get caught, it’s over. »
– With QMI Agency