3 back-to-back drownings in Quebec waters over the weekend

Three men drowned in Quebec waters with 24 hours in separate incidents.

The first victim, a man in his 20s, was recovered from the water near Verdun Beach in Montreal Friday evening.

Authorities say he was swimming outside the designated area supervised by lifeguards when he disappeared.

The Montreal fire department's nautical squad, assisted by the coast guard, pulled his body from the St. Lawrence River after a sweeping search. He was declared dead on the scene.

Then, late Saturday morning, a 29-year-old man drowned while paddleboarding at Beauchamp Lake near Trécesson, a small town in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

Provincial police (SQ) say he was not wearing a lifejacket when he disappeared from his paddleboard around 11:15 a.m.

Divers located his body around 9:45 p.m.

Around that same time, emergency services were called to L'Ange-Gardien on the outskirts of Quebec City to aid a man in distress.

According to the SQ, the man in his 50s 7left his watercraft to find help after it broke down on the St. Lawrence River.

"When he tried to swim out to retrieve it, he reportedly had great difficulty. Coast Guard and firefighter assistance was requested, and the man was finally located unconscious at around 10:40 p.m.," said SQ spokesperson Camille Savoie.

The man was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Quebec Lifesaving Society says there have been over 30 drownings in the province since the start of 2023.  

With files from The Canadian Press.