BAIE-SAINT-PAUL and SAINT-URBAIN | Immersed in unspeakable pain, relatives of the two volunteer firefighters who disappeared in Saint-Urbain are seriously questioning the decision that led them to embark on a perilous rescue on the raging waves.
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“They sent a 23-year-old child who couldn’t swim on a boat down a torrential river. What did they expect? They killed my son! loose Davy Lavoie, stifling a sob.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
On Monday, his son Christopher, a volunteer firefighter in Saint-Urbain for a year and a half, and his colleague Régis Lavoie, 55, were sent to Rang Saint-Georges to evacuate residents whose residence threatened to be swept away by the Gouffre River.
The duo, who were equipped with flotation jackets, according to Mr. Lavoie, would however have fallen into the water during the intervention under the force of the current, at the beginning of the afternoon. This is the last time they were seen.
The daughter of Régis Lavoie (no close relationship with his colleague) is also in the most total incomprehension. She points out that the surviving citizens were finally rescued by helicopter hours later.
“Where is my daddy? »
“My dad was a hero for everyone. Always helping, never able to say no. Worse, I lost it… I lost it. Yes, he died a hero, but I’m so angry with whoever sent him there. It can’t be. It’s a nightmare,” she said, barely concealing her dismay.
She claims that the amphibious all-terrain vehicle used by her father did not even belong to the fire department, but to her sister.
“Where is my daddy? Where is he? “laments the young woman. “I am expecting a child. I wanted my father to meet my child…”
According to her, “it was without judgement” to “send two people who have families, like everyone else, on the water, like that, when the current was… it didn’t make sense “.
Photo provided by Marylou Lavoie
Régis Lavoie, volunteer firefighter wanted in Saint-Urbain.
In search of answers
Angry, Christopher Lavoie’s father wants answers to this case. A succession of bad decisions led to the death of his son, he believes.
“All Christopher wanted was to help the world. It was his dream. He didn’t deserve this. I would be ready to pull myself into the river to get it myself, ”says Mr. Lavoie.
“I want to know why unknowing people sent an inexperienced and unqualified person into a raging river. Those responsible must pay! he continues.
Contacted by the Journal, the municipality of Saint-Urbain did not want to answer our questions on this subject.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
During an interview conducted earlier in the day, the mayor, Claudette Simard, said she was wholeheartedly with the two families. She knew both men.
“They are heroes in the municipality and in the community. People are so sad about this situation,” she said, her eyes watering.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
At the end of the afternoon, we still had no news of the two missing sappers.
“The operation resumed early [mardi] morning, with about twenty patrollers in vehicles, on foot, on mountain bikes and in boats. Divers, a helicopter and a drone were also involved, as was the coast guard, ”explained Béatrice Dorsainville, spokesperson for the SQ.
Families believe less and less in a happy ending. “[La mairesse] came to my home to tell me that my son had died, although the bodies had not yet been found. I had to call the SQ to find out what was going on,” lamented Dany Lavoie.
–With the collaboration of Elisa Cloutier and Nicolas St-Pierre