Search underway for missing firefighter in St. Lawrence River
Read the updated story here: Montreal mayor, fire department pay tribute to firefighter who died during rescue operation
A rescue mission got underway Sunday for a firefighter who fell into the St. Lawrence River after a boat carrying people from a previous rescue mission capsized near the Lachine Rapids.
The boat reportedly sank at around 7:30 p.m.
About half an hour before, four Montreal firefighters responded to a distress signal from another boat in the area.
After picking up the two people who called for help, the rescue boat itself capsized.
While it remains unclear why the accident happened, rescue workers were able to recover everyone on board except the firefighter, who remains missing.
"So the people that they rescued, they went in the water, along with the firefighters," said Longueuil Fire Division Chief Stéphane Difruscia. "But now, all those people are accounted for, except for one firefighter."
Rescue teams from the Montreal police (SPVM), the Surete du Quebec (SQ), the Coast Guard, as well as firefighters from Montreal and Longueuil took part in the search. An SQ helicopter was also on the scene.
"I don't have any information about the condition [of the boat]," said Montreal Fire Chief Louise Desrochers.
"But of course, we're talking about the Lachine Rapids, so the water is really moving around there."
Firefighters asked that the public avoid the intersection of 75th Ave. and Lasalle Blvd. as the search got underway.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.