A 63-year-old man died Sunday afternoon in a seaplane crash on the Saint-Maurice River in Shawinigan.
According to initial reports, the crash occurred shortly after the seaplane took off at around 3:45 pm.
Genevieve Gagnon, spokeswoman for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), explains that the machine hit and severed Hydro-Québec cables.
Photo by QMI Agency, Jean-Simon Hubert
According to a witness, it hit the water upside down, sinking to its floats within seconds.
Witnesses were unable to help within minutes of the accident as power lines strewn across the river.
Fifteen minutes later, first responders, including the Shawinigan Fire Department, arrived on the scene.
Photo by QMI Agency, Jean-Simon Hubert
A 63-year-old man was dragged from the seaplane. He was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
It is not yet known how many people were on board.
Divers from SQ and teams from Hydro-Québec and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada also visited the site.
Photo by QMI Agency, Jean-Simon Hubert
Major crime investigators and coroners must understand the circumstances of this tragedy.
Dangerous sector
According to regulars in the area, the wires crossing the Saint-Maurice River at this height are not marked.
Photo by QMI Agency, Jean-Simon Hubert
Hydro-Québec reported by early evening that just 5,900 homes were without power. Electricity was restored in the evening.
– with QMI Agency
- In 2007, a Cessna seaplane hit power lines in the same area during a water landing. The two occupants of the machine escaped unhurt.
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