Search continues for man who went missing in water near popular Montreal beach

MONTREAL — Montreal police continued canvasing the St. Lawrence River on Wednesday for a man who was last seen struggling in the water outside the designated swimming area of a beach.

Police divers resumed their search in the water off the southwestern borough of Verdun for a 32-year-old missing man who witnesses said was in distress in the fast-moving waters about 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Const. Caroline Chèvrefils said officers and firefighter nautical teams could not find the man when they arrived at the scene.

Verdun borough Mayor Marie-Andrée Mauger urged people to stick to the designated swimming area at the Verdun beach.

“Swimming in the river must be limited to the beach during supervised hours,” Mauger said in a Facebook post. “All drownings occurred outside the beach perimeter.”

She was referring to the drownings of two men in their 20s, both of whom died in June while swimming outside the official swimming area of the popular, man-made beach.

Authorities installed signs and barriers along the banks of the river to warn swimmers about the danger.

“We need to be careful and, above all, to respect the rules,” Mauger said.

“The St. Lawrence River is a powerful and unpredictable natural environment.”

Raynald Hawkins, with the Quebec branch of the Lifesaving Society, said the city studied the Verdun shoreline before creating the beach, and cordoned off swimming areas because parts of the river have strong currents.

“Never swim alone, in fifty per cent of drownings, the victims were alone,” Hawkins said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press