Child dies after boating accident in Quebec

The body of a child under the age of five was recovered on Sunday, a day after a boating tragedy in the Baskatong Reservoir in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains.

In order not to interfere with the ongoing investigation, few details have been released about the incident, which occurred around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday evening.

The incident involved a single boat in the reservoir about 285 kilometers northwest of Montreal.

“According to preliminary information, one person suffered serious injuries in the incident. Divers from the Sûreté du Québec and a water police officer arrived at the scene of the accident,” said Sergeant Ève Brochu-Joubert, spokeswoman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). “During the night, divers recovered the missing person. The victim is a child under the age of five. Unfortunately, his death was confirmed at the scene.”

The first call to the emergency services and patrol officers of the Antoine-Labelle MRC was a response to “a boating accident.”

The SQ lifeguard and divers were immediately dispatched to find the missing child.

In addition, investigators from the SQ Major Crimes Unit and accident reconstructionists were dispatched to the scene to determine the causes and circumstances that led to the child's death.

The SQ investigation continues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 2, 2024.