Possible drowning at Verdun urban beach in Montreal: search resumes
Posted June 8, 2025 12:16 pm.
Last Updated June 8, 2025 6:16 pm.
The water patrol of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) was due to resume its search at daylight on Sunday for a young man who had disappeared from the waters off Verdun beach in Montreal.
The man, aged 20, is believed to have become unwell during a water sports activity.
Police received calls at around 5:20 p.m. on Saturday evening reporting that a man taking part in a sporting activity in the St Lawrence River “appeared to be in distress.”
“As regards the possible drowning, divers from the Emergency Response Team (ERT) took part in search operations for several hours (on Saturday) and were unable to locate the victim,” SPVM spokeswoman Constable Caroline Chèvrefils said on Sunday morning.
On Saturday evening, the police were unable to locate the man from the shore, forcing the evacuation of the beach to carry out a more thorough search, with the help of water patrols from the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal and the Coast Guard.
The Verdun urban beach is not due to open until Saturday, 14 June.
The Ville de Montréal website states that swimming is not recommended when the beach is unsupervised, due to the risks associated with “high water levels and strong currents.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
