CANADA - Tragedy in Montreal after group plunges through ice - Jan.22/20

[LadyL]

Police find two submerged snowmobiles; 5 still missing; 1 dead after group plunges through ice near Lac Saint-Jean.

Eight tourists from France and their tour guide were part of the group, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu told CTV News.


Police find two submerged snowmobiles; 5 still missing; 1 dead after group plunges through ice near Lac Saint-Jean

 

[LadyL]

Police helicopter crashes during search for missing snowmobilers.

The pilot was alone on board, and was rescued by nearby colleagues. He was injured, but conscious and is expected to survive.

Police helicopter crashes during search for missing snowmobilers

 

[LadyL]

 

[Trinitee]

That is so scary and such a tragic loss.

 

[katsrfun]

What a tragedy. Didn't the tour guide know the ice wasn't solid enough to take snowmobiles and that many people out on it; if he didn't know, I believe he should have. May God bless all of them, and be with their families. MOO. Katt

 

[LadyL]

What a tragedy. Didn't the tour guide know the ice wasn't solid enough to take snowmobiles and that many people out on it; if he didn't know, I believe he should have. May God bless all of them, and be with their families. MOO. Katt

He may have been off the regular trail - whether intentional or lost they don't seem to know yet.

 

[dotr]

Police find two submerged snowmobiles; 5 still missing; 1 dead after group plunges through ice near Lac Saint-Jean
"There are questions people are asking, such as, did they get lost?" she said Wednesday in Quebec City. "That will be part of the investigation."

In the hours following the accident, authorities stressed the dangers of straying off marked and groomed snowmobile trails.

Gaetan Gagne, the president of the Lac-Saint-Jean snowmobile club, said the area where the accident occurred, known as the Grande Decharge, is known to be extremely dangerous.

"Enthusiasts in the area, they know it well," he said in a phone interview. "They know you shouldn't go near the Grande Decharge because there's a dam lower down, so the water isn't calm. It almost never freezes."

Gagne said the snowmobilers must have been "at least a couple of kilometres" off the trails, which he said are well-marked and easy to follow.

France Paradis, a retired journalist and snowmobiler who lives in the area, echoed Gagne's confusion.

He said it's unusual for guided tours to be out at 7:30 p.m., especially in an area known for open water and fast currents.

"A professional guide who knows the area well would never go there, especially at this time of the year," he said.''