Overview
- Montreal emergency crews responded shortly before midnight on Saturday to the Lachine Canal near Parc René-Lévesque and by about 2 a.m. used sonar to locate two people who were pulled from the water and taken to hospital in critical condition.
- Montreal Fire Department officials say one person fell into the canal and a second entered the water to try to help, and Urgences-santé confirmed both victims are in their early 20s with one identified as male.
- The nighttime search was a joint operation using two Service d'incendie de Montréal boats, one Canadian Coast Guard vessel, sonar from a SIM boat, and six paramedics who provided on-scene medical care before transport.
- The Quebec coroner’s office has not yet responded to media requests and no further official updates on cause, time in the water, identities or outcomes have been released.
- Drowning-prevention groups point to data showing many accidental deaths follow rescue attempts and a rising share of river drownings this year, and they are urging permanent school swim programs, more training for helpers, and wider lifejacket rules to reduce future incidents.