Two people were in critical condition after being pulled from Montreal’s Lachine Canal late Saturday night in what appeared to be a rescue attempt, a scenario Quebec’s water safety organization says is a recurring risk in drowning deaths.
According to the Montreal fire department, one person fell into the canal and the second entered the water in an attempt to help. Data from the Canadian Drowning Prevention Research Centre show that in more than half of accidental drowning deaths, a rescue attempt is made, and about two-thirds of those who try to help have no rescue training.
The department said it received the initial call shortly before midnight near Parc René-Lévesque and launched a search involving two of its boats and one from the Canadian Coast Guard. Fire officials said sonar equipment aboard one of the department’s boats eventually helped locate the two people….