Explosion that killed two Quebec toddlers and their father suspected to be double-murder and suicide

SAGUENAY, Que. -

Two toddlers and their father died in an explosion that blew up a house in the Arvida neighborhood of Saguenay, Quebec provincial police have confirmed, who are treating the event as a possible double-murder and suicide. 

Police officers first said on Tuesday that those dead in the blast the day before were a 39-year-old man and his son, under three years old.

They later said they had "good clues that there might be another victim," namely the youngest son in the family. Later in the afternoon they announced they'd discovered the remains of the toddler, who was under a year old.

On Tuesday, a tent was set up to create space for evidence. The "priority" was to "find the possible victims inside" and to allow forensic experts to analyze the "projections of the blast" in order to determine the nature of the explosive device, explained Hugues Beaulieu, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.

However, the police ruled out the idea that the explosion could have been caused by the breakage of a domestic appliance.

"It's ruled out because with the magnitude of the blast, it was too powerful for that," the spokesperson said.

The father in the family worked in the mining industry. The police have spoken to his employer, which is "within the normal framework of the investigation," police said.

The Niobec mine confirmed in a statement that one of its employees died in the blast and said it is "cooperating and will continue to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities in the investigation of the incident."

The mine refuses to answer journalists' further questions, claiming it's because a police investigation is underway.

The SQ's personal crimes investigation department is in charge of the investigation, in collaboration with the Coroner's Office.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 11, 2022.