The body of a man was found on Wednesday afternoon, not far from the American border, in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle.
Alerted by an American helicopter on patrol to the presence of the body on the Canadian side of the border, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) agents from the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville post went to the scene to confirm the death of the individual.
The body, which was in a wooded area not far from Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, was then airlifted since it could not be moved otherwise, SQ spokesman Louis-Philippe Ruel said Thursday. .
According to Radio-Canada, it would be the body of a migrant who tried to cross the border by Roxham Road, information that has not been confirmed by the SQ for the moment. “We are not able to say where this person came from and where she was going,” said Louis-Philippe Ruel on Thursday.
An investigation has been opened to determine the nationality of the individual and the cause of his death.
Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle is located not far from Roxham Road, a passageway now used by thousands of migrants to transit between the United States and Canada.
If the information is confirmed that it is a migrant, this tragedy would be the first known death in this kind of situation for a year in Canada.
In January 2022, the bodies of four members of the same Indian family trying to cross the border into the United States were found in Emerson, Manitoba. They reportedly attempted to cross on foot in harsh winter conditions and died of hypothermia.