4-year-old drowns in backyard pool on Montreal's South Shore

The lifeless body of a child was discovered in a residential swimming pool in Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore, late on Friday afternoon.

Longueuil police (SPAL) was alerted at around 4:30 p.m. to the disappearance of the 4-year-old boy from his home on Vimont Street. A search was quickly launched in the area.

"Unfortunately, our officers found the unconscious body of the four-year-old victim a few minutes later in a nearby residential swimming pool," said SPAL spokesperson François Boucher. "The victim was taken into care and transported to hospital, where unfortunately he was formally pronounced dead'."

The initial findings of the police investigation rule out any criminal element.

"An investigation by SPAL has nevertheless been launched to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this sad event," Boucher stressed.

As of Sept. 5, the Lifesaving Society had counted 48 suspected drownings in Quebec in 2024, all of which have yet to be confirmed by the coroner's office.

"In recent years, there have been an average of a dozen drownings in residential outdoor pools every year," said the coroner's office in a press release dated June 4.

According to the coroner's office, children aged between one and four account for 25 per cent of victims.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 7, 2024.