A sixth day of searching on Wednesday failed to find the little girl who ended her slide in the backwaters of the Mistassibi River last Friday, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
It is now a location and recovery mission, said Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, police officers continued to patrol the river in a small team aboard a boat to try to find the 4-year-old girl. Others were posted at strategic locations which serve as observation points, Sergeant Beaulieu added. The Press.
The girl had still not been found by the end of the day and the search was suspended due to darkness. They will resume this Thursday at “fixed observation points”, indicated Camille Savoie, spokesperson for the SQ, at the end of the day.
On Tuesday, around twenty police officers were deployed to try to find the little girl, as well as a drone and a nautical team. As in previous days, the search was suspended for security reasons at nightfall.
On Monday afternoon, the SQ released, with the family’s agreement, a photo of the little girl’s clothing at the time of her disappearance. Residents and people driving near the river are asked to contact the police if they see clothing similar to that shown in the photo.
The little girl was wearing a multi-colored winter coat and blue snow pants.
Last Friday, emergency services were called around 2:30 p.m. to go to the place where the little girl was sliding with her mother, in Dolbeau-Mistassini, a town located north of Lac Saint-Jean. The tragedy occurred near a hiking trail located near Route 169.
It was at this place that the child, unable to stop her course, passed through the mesh of a guardrail installed along the bank and found herself in the waters of the Mistassibi River. The heavy rains received in the preceding days had caused the already tumultuous waters of the river to swell, police authorities reported at the time.
Wave of solidarity
On social networks, a wave of solidarity broke out towards the family affected by the tragedy. Several people offered to participate in the search or lend their dogs to help find the little girl.
A donation collection campaign was also launched on Tuesday on the GoFundMe platform to support the family and make a commemorative plaque in honor of the little girl. As of Wednesday, more than $4,500 had been raised.
On site, questions remain about the solidity of the guardrail which partly detached when the little girl hit it.
“We wonder how the guardrail could have given way so easily. We’re talking about a 4 year old child here, not an adult. It makes you wonder if the installations were really safe,” said a resident, Maria Josée, to the local newspaper. The Daily last Saturday.