(Saint-Urbain) The coroner’s office confirmed that two bodies removed from a river in the Charlevoix region on Wednesday were those of volunteer firefighters who had been swept away by floodwaters.
The two men who disappeared Monday during a rescue mission were Régis Lavoie, 55, and Christopher Lavoie, 23, the office said.
On Wednesday, the police found their bodies about 500 meters from each other in the Gouffre River, in Saint-Urbain, about fifteen kilometers north of Baie-Saint-Paul.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said one of the firefighters used his own amphibious ATV to try to reach a couple whose home was surrounded by water.
But the details of the intervention that led to the death of the two men — who, according to several reports, have no family connection — remain unclear, and Mr. Legault asked not to rush to judge.
About 100 municipalities in Quebec and about 1,450 residences have been affected by the recent wave of flooding, mainly north of the St. Lawrence River, from the Outaouais to the Capitale-Nationale.
