It was around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday when a young man came running into Carly Roome's house wearing socks, a T-shirt and shorts. No coat. No cellphone. Dripping.
“He was screaming that he needed help because his friend had fallen through the ice,” Ms Roome said.
She immediately called the police. She and her parents then spoke to the boy, who was “really shaken,” to get more details about the incident.
The boy had managed to get his sister out of the Rideau River, about 400 meters from Ms. Roome's home. But he was worried about his two friends who he couldn't save.
The quartet returned near the Rideau River and provided more details to the 911 dispatcher.
But on Thursday the worst happened.
This morning, Ottawa police confirmed the death of a first young man and said they were continuing their search for the second man. Unfortunately, authorities later confirmed that a second body had been found.
Emmah Palmer and Seleina Elata said their friend Ahmad Ahmad, 17, was the first to be found dead.
Ms Elata said she spoke to the young man's mother after hearing the news.
“She was very upset,” she admitted as she stood near the locks where the girls said they had come to say goodbye to their friend.
“I couldn’t hold on and she couldn’t hold on. As soon as we got the call it was just tears. »
Ms Elata added that her boyfriend, who was proud to be of Iraqi heritage, loved coming to the area because he found it peaceful.
Ms Palmer added that he was preparing to graduate and celebrate his 18th birthday next month.
“Honestly, it doesn’t make any sense. She was such a beautiful person. It's not fair. He was 17 years old. »
Difficult conditions
Emergency crews responded to a call about four teenagers who had fallen into the river from Nicolls Island Road at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday night.
Two of the teenagers were immediately pulled from the water by paramedics and taken to hospital, while two others, aged 16 and 17, were reported missing.
Police divers later found the body of one of them. The second was found on Thursday.
Police admitted that the overnight rescue operation, during which divers recovered the first body, took place in “very difficult conditions”.
The search for the second missing teenager was paused overnight and did not resume Thursday morning. Just before 3 p.m., an underwater search and recovery unit arrived on scene and set up a tent near the river bank.
Three marked police vehicles were parked near the Rideau Canal locks on a rainy Thursday morning as temperatures continue to be above average in Ottawa.
Yellow tape was wrapped around the locks near the river, where a thin layer of ice appeared to extend outward from the bank.
The police also cordoned off an area near the shore.
When asked for further details, a police spokesman said he could not provide any further information about the ongoing police operation.
Other similar events across the country
This Rideau River incident occurred amid a series of similar events across the country.
RCMP in Alberta confirmed the deaths of three members of the same family this week after their SUV plunged through a thin layer of ice in the run-up to Christmas.
RCMP also said a man died after falling through the ice near Calgary on Christmas Day.
In November, RCMP in Saskatchewan reported that two girls fell through the ice on a lake. One of them died, as did two men who tried to save them.
And in Quebec, the Sûreté du Québec said this week that the search for a four-year-old girl who fell into the Mistassibi River in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is now being viewed as a recovery operation rather than a security mission.