The number of deaths in multiple drownings, which broke a record last year in Quebec, could worsen in 2024 when the weather is unpredictable and there are many activities on bodies of water.
• Read also: “Increased” risk on icy bodies of water: victim’s family calls for vigilance
“If the trend continues and we don’t have real cold winters, we risk seeing several people move from edge to edge of the ice […] with climate change, it will bring us more water-related deaths [pendant la période hivernale]“, warns Raynald Hawkins of the Lifesaving Society.
On Wednesday, the organization revealed its recorded data on drownings that took place in Quebec in 2023. Of the 82 deaths listed, 25 were linked to only 7 incidents, a record for multiple drownings.
“It’s not common, yes, we’ve had what we call double water-related deaths before, but 8 or 9 people at once, no. It’s really typical for the year 2023,” laments the general director of the Lifesaving Society.
Among these tragic drownings, we include the eight migrants and their pilot who wanted to cross the border last March and who lost their lives when their boat sank in the St. Lawrence River in the Akwesasne sector. The numerous floods in May also caused several victims, including two firefighters swept away by the current on the Gouffre River.
The disastrous events continued when in June, four young people accompanied by their instructor were swept away by the waters while on a fishing trip on the North Shore.
According to the organization, the number of drownings for the period of 2023 is also higher than the average of the last 10 years which amounts to 80 drownings.
Warnings
As the year 2023 tragically ended with the drowning of two teenagers while skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, the Lifesaving Society wishes to issue an important warning regarding outdoor activities.
The changing weather of recent weeks represents a high risk factor for drownings linked to activities taking place on the ice such as snowmobiling or ATVing.
Raynald Hawkins, general director of the Quebec Lifesaving Society
Archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
“You have to follow the instructions, which is why when the Federation of the snowmobile or ATV club tells you that the trail which was usually marked is no longer marked, there is no reason to want to use it or pass by. This is even more true when the path crosses a river because there are currents,” observes Raynald Hawkins.
The recommendation also applies to skating, as well as ice fishing while “usually, between the month of December and the month of March, six to eight cases of death linked to hasty practice of an outdoor activity on the ice” are reported.
Some statistics:
- 22% of drownings occurred in Montérégie (18 deaths)
- 21% of deaths occurred in September and October
- 80% of drownings occurred in natural environments (rivers, lakes, rivers) whereas previously, they were around 65%
- 32% of deaths are linked to navigation
- 13% of drownings are linked to swimming
- 0 number of drownings in an environment supervised by a lifeguard