(Dolbeau-Mistassini) The search continued at dawn on Sunday to find a four-year-old girl who fell into the waters of the Mistassibi River in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean on Friday.
Posted at 10:28 am.
The search had been interrupted in the evening the day before for security reasons.
On Sunday, divers and several police officers were again deployed on each shore to locate the little girl.
“Today we have the support of a drone instead of the helicopter, which can carry out quick surveys in points less accessible to pedestrians,” said Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu, a spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
He explained that the work of divers is complex for safety reasons. A crane was needed to carry the divers' boat over the railing. The divers are then placed into the boat using the crane in the same way. In addition to the winter context, this operation is complex and delays research, explained Mr. Beaulieu.
On Friday, emergency services were called to the scene where the little girl slipped with her mother in Dolbeau-Mistassini in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean when the tragedy occurred around 2:30 p.m. near a hiking trail on Route 169.
At this point, the child was unable to halt his course and get through the mesh of a guard rail installed on the bank.
PHOTO GIMMY DESBIENS, LE DAILY
“From the incident, we understand that the little girl was with her mother and slipped near the river. Despite the wire mesh railing, she still got through and ended up in the water,” Mr Beaulieu previously explained.
He did not want to comment on the chances of finding the little girl alive.