The wait becomes unbearable for the family and loved ones of the two young people who disappeared in the Saint-Charles River, who are still nowhere to be found after three days of intensive searches.
• Read also: Major operation to find the missing
On Tuesday, rescue teams continued their efforts without succeeding in finding the remains.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
However, the day revealed that part of Sunday’s drama was captured on video.
A young woman reportedly fell into the water around 6 p.m. Sunday when she was with a group of friends near a bridge that spans the Saint-Charles River, near Neuvialle and Père-Lelièvre boulevards.
“The girl positioned herself for a photo. I was shown a video where she slides. This is the moment when the video stops, when it falls into the water, ”explains Éric Kamgang, a friend of Kevin Timneu Fezeu, who is missing.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
Fatal dive
According to their testimony, the latter ran and dived into the water without hesitation. This decision was fatal to him, even if it is extremely painful to do nothing in the circumstances.
“He never came back up. We never saw him again. She’s the girl who was swept away by the current,” adds Éric.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
With a few relatives, he went to the river on Tuesday to see the state of the situation. He says he was impressed by the high flow, but also reassured by the work of the teams.
“You had to understand well to talk to the family. I found that to be scary. Of course, it can take a person away. We have the feeling that this is a place where more precautions should be taken. We hope to find them and we are waiting now, ”he ends.
Pictures QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
Distant family
A student at Université Laval, Kevin Timneu Fezeu does not have a lot of family in Quebec. A cousin is in Trois-Rivières, while her sister and her worried parents live in Cameroon.
“It will not be easy for them to come here. They are waiting for news and it is difficult for them. Kevin dreamed of joining the College of Pharmacists. It was his goal. He was ambitious and full of plans. He thought of others first. It looks like him to do that. He wanted to help but he may not have measured the magnitude of the gesture, ”explained Marianne Tchimoe Sille, referring to the heroic gesture of her cousin.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
Strongly shaken, she still has a slim hope. “I want to believe in a miracle. I am Christian. It is true that the more time passes, the more difficult it is. As long as I haven’t seen his body, I continue to believe in it. I feel powerless. »
The teams will take stock this morning. “An assessment will be made in order to develop the search strategy,” said spokesperson David Poitras.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
Whitewater Dangers
On May 21, 2017, in a somewhat similar scenario, a young woman slipped off a rock before being swept away by the current of the Jean-Larose River, in Beaupré. At the end of an unprecedented operation, the body of Maïté Viens had been found after 24 days of research.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
In her report, the coroner had considered a set of factors relating to drowning in white water, including ignorance of the dangers of white water and the management of the site.
According to Me Andrée Kronström, it would be utopian to prohibit access to bodies of water in Quebec. Rather, the population must be made aware of the dangers of running water on the various sites.
- Listen to Vincent Dessureault at the microphone of Mario Dumont on QUB radio: