A 27-year-old man has drowned after attempting to assist a woman in distress at picturesque Dorwin Falls near Rawdon Sunday, while a 21-year-old man is presumed drowned in a separate incident near St. Timothee.
Police have identified the first man as David Del Rosario of Montreal.
Del Rosario had leaped into the water to assist a woman who was carried away by the current. Another woman, from the same picnic outing, had also jumped in the water to help. The two women were able to get out of the water. They sustained minor injuries.
A search for Del Rosario failed to yield results before nightfall Sunday when the search was suspended for the evening. The teams of helicopters, divers and police officers resumed the search at daybreak Monday and their quest remained fruitless until about 10:30 a.m. when a rescue team located his body.
The three people were friends, said Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau of the Surete du Quebec.
Newlywed Maria Pantazopoulos of Laval drowned while posing for photos in her wedding gown at the same site two years ago.
Second incident in St. Timothee
In the second incident earlier Sunday, a 21-year-old man was swept away by heavy currents in St. Timothee, about 10 kilomtres east of Valleyfield.
The man was carried away near the doors of a hydro dam around 4:15 p.m.
His body was found around 4 p.m. by SQ divers close to where he was last seen, said SQ Sgt. Christine Coulombe.
High water levels are believed to have caused difficult conditions for swimming.
