Montreal

Man dies after being swept away by river in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban

Quebec provincial police have located a man in his 80s who was swept away on Friday by the Batiscan River in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban after torrential rains hit the southern part of the province.

Man had been missing since Friday night, was found dead on Sunday, police say

A sign hands from a wall.
Provincial police said the state of the terrain had made it impossible for them to walk along the riverbank as they searched for the missing man on Saturday. The man in his 80s was found dead in the river on Sunday morning. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

Quebec provincial police officers have located the body of a man who was swept away Friday by the Batiscan River in the Route du Moulin area, located in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, Que. 

His body was found Sunday morning in the river, in the Lac-aux-Sables area of the Mauricie region. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). 

The man in his 80s had been missing since Friday at 11:30 p.m. 

A roadway collapsed in the area at the time the man and another person were there. According to the SQ, the other person tried to help the man, but didn't succeed. 

On Saturday, the area was inaccessible, steep and dangerous, said an SQ spokesperson, making it impossible for officers to walk along the riverbank. 

The SQ deployed a helicopter and used drones to locate the missing man, who was from the area. 

Provincial police and the coroner's office have launched an investigation to clarify the cause and the circumstances of the incident.

Written by Hénia Ould-Hammou