Search continues for man who fell into St. Lawrence River in Old Montreal
Posted July 13, 2026 7:22 am.
Last Updated July 13, 2026 4:45 pm.
A search operation will continue for a second day for a man who went missing in the St. Lawrence River in Old Montreal Sunday evening.
Montreal police (SPVM) received 911 calls around 6 p.m. reporting that a man had fallen in the water near the terrasse Bonsecours.
Police believe that the man jumped into the water by himself. No criminal activity is suspected.
SPVM divers resumed the search and rescue operation Monday morning. The teams will use Sonar technology to conduct their search, according to SPVM spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron.
Raynald Hawkins, executive director of Lifesaving Society of Quebec, said that the next several hours would be crucial for the rescue.
“I hope so we’re going to find this person,” Hawkins said. “And, absolutely, I would like to know he is alive, but after 24 hours, I think it’s more a drowning reality we have (to face).”
Hawkins said that rivers could be dangerous to swim outside of designated swimming areas.
“Sometimes we can see at the surface, see is very calm, but under the surface, you have those vortex currents, you have those strong currents,” Hawkins said. “So and that’s why we always say to people, ‘Listen, if you don’t see a swimming line area like what we have in Verdun Beach, (…) you have to use that for boating activities.'”
Hawkins said regardless of one’s skill level, people venturing into rivers should wear flotation devices to avoid drownings.
Data from the Lifesaving Society of Quebec showed the number of drownings in the province so far in 2026 as 34, similar to what was observed last year at this time.
