The call was made after several people noticed the situation of the kayakers. Mr. Chabot of Saint-Joachim contacted 911 around 1:07 p.m. to report the group in distress. “I saw that things were going badly and that they were stuck,” explained Mr. Chabot, who was interviewed by Vingt55 on site. He immediately contacted 911 to report the group in distress, which was trying to get back to shore after two of the boats had deflated, damaged by the rocky bottom of the river where the water is fast-moving but shallow at this location.
In fact, the group, made up of five adults who had set off by kayak on the Saint-François River in Drummondville, was taken by surprise while crossing the rapids in their boats.
The firefighters were immediately called to the scene for a water rescue, but they were unable to pull the kayakers out due to their precarious position.
The water rescue team made sure to secure people and bring the victims to safety before requesting assistance from the Sûreté du Québec helicopter.
“When we arrived, we had three victims at the bottom of a cliff, stuck on the edge of the St-François River, at the height of the St-Joachim rapids,” explains Mr. Mario Girard, division chief of the Drummondville fire department.
“Due to the current and the strong flow, caused by the previous rains, it was impossible for us to recover the victims on board our inflatable boat without putting our responders at risk. We therefore called on the Sûreté du Québec helicopter rescue team,” confirmed Mr. Mario Girard, division chief of the Drummondville fire department.
“We were out on the river, wearing our life jackets, when suddenly one of our boats crashed into the rocks explained Mr. Horion, one of the surviving kayakers, in an interview with Vingt55“The current made us drift and we found refuge at the foot of a cliff on dry land, but it was impossible for us to get back up,” added the Drummondville native. “We stayed on the rock so as not to make our situation worse or injure ourselves unnecessarily,” he added.
A spectacular rescue, 3 of the 5 kayakers had to be rescued by helicopter
Three of the five kayakers had to be rescued by helicopter after a dizzying climb to take their places in the Sûreté du Québec helicopter.
