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Montreal police and firefighters launched a search-and-rescue operation at Verdun Beach on Friday evening in hopes of locating a missing man.
According to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), two young men were swimming together at around 7:20 p.m. and one of them made it back to shore under duress. The other man is still missing.
Their exact ages are unknown.
Three people drowned in the Verdun Beach area last year, prompting the borough of Verdun to implement new safety measures, including more signage. This month, the borough launched a water safety awareness campaign.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Montreal police told CBC News it wasn’t clear how late into the night the operation would continue.
According to the borough’s website, the beach officially opens on Saturday, though police said many people were there at the time of the incident.
LISTEN | Verdun borough mayor spoke on Thursday about plans to make beach safer:
Let’s Go12:32Can Verdun’s new safety plan reduce river drowning risks?
The Verdun beach opens for the season this weekend. The borough says it has a new plan to try to prevent the risk of drowning for river swimmers. We’ll speak to the Verdun mayor, Céline-Audrey Beauregard, about what is going to change at Verdun beach.