It must have been a scene right out of The Omen. Two children, 6 and 8 year old cousins, were playing in the shallow Wapishish River, near Chicoutimi in northeast Quebec. The kids were playing on some rocks, under surveillance from their respective parents, when one of them apparently lost his wooden duck and started after it, going further into the water. The older of the two yelled for help. The witness, the surviving adult, mother of the 8 year old, says that her son was quickly brought back to shore by one of the men, but then three parents went back into the water to attempt rescuing the 6 year old.
That’s when the real trouble started. The cold water, paired with the current, dragged one of the parents out into a deeper hole, a second parent was trying to save him and both requested some life vests, that’s when the mom of the older kid, who actually had some life vests, went after the youngest kid and rescued him as he was floating away. He was holding onto his unconscious mother.
Sadly, nothing could be done to rescue the two men, and the woman who died at the scene. Both kids were safe and sound, but one has been orphaned and the other lost his father in the event.
We’d like to extend our condolences to both families, and our best wishes towards the surviving kids. On a side note, I sincerely hope both kids will remember this, and try and make the best out of their lives.
