As Saint-Anselme searches for a 21-year-old Ukrainian immigrant who is said to have been swept away by the current for a fourth day, a citizen wanted to issue a warning to the entire population.
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Ahmel Hamilton, who has lived in Saint-Anselme for many years, describes the Etchemin River as “the deadliest there is”.
“Don’t swim in it, because the pressure is too much. Even if it’s low, it will sweep you away,” he said in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
In addition, Mr. Hamilton affirms that he speaks knowingly.
“I stayed down there […] I was all the way down, at 32 feet. I left because they didn’t want me upstairs,” he said.
The Mayor of Saint-Anselme, Yves Turgeon, wants to put up signs to encourage people not to swim and strengthen the swimming program to prevent more events of this nature from happening again.