Bodies of 2 missing Quebec firefighters swept away in flooding found in Charlevoix
The bodies of two Quebec firefighters who were swept away Monday during flooding have now been found.
A Quebec provincial police helicopter located the body of a first man shortly before 10 a.m. in the Rivière du Gouffre, in Charlevoix, near Baie-Saint-Paul.
Recovery efforts took several hours. At about 2 p.m., a helicopter airlifted the man's body from where it had become entangled in some brush on the banks of the fast-moving river. The victim's family has been notified.
The body of the second man was spotted at 1:30 p.m., about 500 metres away from the location of the first body, along Rang St-Laurent, between Route 138 and Rang Ste-Croix, said Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Béatrice Dorsainville at an afternoon press conference.
Both bodies are being sent to the coroner for formal identification.
The two missing volunteer firefighters are Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, who is in his 50s.
The two firefighters were both assisting people whose homes were being evacuated when they were swept away by floodwaters in Saint-Urbain, Que. Several homes were evacuated after local roads were washed out.
The search for the two firefighters had been ongoing since Monday.
Firemen line up by the Bas-du-Nord river as the bridge is closed because of flooded roads, Monday, May 1, 2023 in Baie Saint-Paul, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Baie-Saint-Paul Mayor Michaël Pilote said the Red Cross is on the ground assisting people whose homes were evacuated and in the meantime, psychological help is being offered from the regional health board.
During the press conference, he urged residents to wait for authorization before returning to their homes.
He also pleaded for people who don't live in the area to stop coming to the ravaged city to take photos of the catastrophe.
Prior to the second body being found by police, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his sympathies with the family of the first volunteer firefighter who was found Wednesday.
In a tweet, Trudeau said, "My thoughts are also with the loved ones of the missing firefighter."
An investigation to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding the event is underway, said the SQ, which said it is working closely with various partners including the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).
Quebec Premier Francois Legault, in Charlevoix Wednesday to speak with residents, urged Quebecers to avoid passing judgment on what might have happened on Monday that led to the two volunteer firefighters' disappearance.
"It must have happened quickly," he said. "It's a situation that evolved very quickly, so yes, we must ask ourselves questions and we will do the necessary analysis."
Quebec Premier Francois Legault watches the Gouffre River flow as he tours the site of a major spring flood, Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Baie-Saint-Paul, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Legault called the situation "infinitely sad."
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.