As search crews prepared to cut through thick ice on Montreal’s Rivière des Prairies on Saturday morning, the effort to find a missing teenager entered a more desperate phase.
The 18-year-old vanished beneath the ice Thursday afternoon after falling into the fast-moving river near the Jacques-Bizard Bridge.
Two days of searching — by boat, drone and with shoreline teams — have so far turned up no trace.
Saturday, Montreal police said the search efforts are now refocusing and shifting currents may have carried him under a dense stretch of ice farther downstream.
What unfolded on Thursday?
Around 2:35 p.m, emergency services were called, according to Montreal police. A 911 call had reported two people were in distress in the water near the Ste-Geneviève district.
One of them, a 17-year-old, was found — pulled from the river and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The second man disappeared beneath the ice and has not been seen since.
It is believed the pair were friends, and the incident was an accident.
Montreal police have said there is no indication of criminal activity.
Who is the missing man?
The missing man has been identified as Hassoun Choui, The Gazette has confirmed.
He is an 18-year-old student at CEGEP Gérald-Godin.
The school said it is monitoring the situation closely, adding it has put support measures in place for students and staff.
The incident has reverberated in the surrounding community.
A fundraiser for the family has also raised more than $3,000 for the family.
How has the search unfolded?
Search efforts began Thursday and have since evolved.
This has included:
Police boats scanning the river and ice edge
Officers combing the shoreline on foot
A drone conducting aerial searches
Divers were initially kept out of the water because of safety concerns.
Why is the search so difficult?
Aside from the extremely cold temperatures, the current is strong and fast-moving.
“The current is quite strong, and there are ice floes that could break off,” said Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. “That makes it too dangerous.”
Large sheets of unstable ice also cover parts of the river. This limits access while posing risks to rescue crews.
What changed Saturday?
The search efforts Saturday shifted focus to a small bay downstream, according to Brabant, where investigators believe the current may have carried Choui beneath the ice.
Divers are now cutting a large hole through the ice to gain access and search underneath.
“The idea is that he fell in one part and the current brought him into that bay,” Brabant said.
Crews are expected to spend the day searching that area.
“We’ll have the nautical squads that will be on the radio to do some searches.
“The divers from the Montreal police, too, will go on site this morning to try to locate that man,” Brabant added.
What are the chances of survival?
Brabant acknowledged the likelihood of survival is now low. The water temperature is well below freezing.
“The odds that he made it are pretty low,” he said
He added the priority has shifted toward finding the young man and providing answers to his family.
“We’re really working for the family at this point.”
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