Around 9:30pm on Wednesday night, a young man ran into Carly Rum's house with socks, a t-shirt and shorts. No coat. No phone. Dripping.
“He shouted that his friend needed help because he had fallen through the ice,” said M.me Room.
She immediately called the police. She and her parents later spoke to the “really shocked” boy to get more details about what happened.
The boy pulled his sister out of the Rideau River, 400 meters from M's house.me Room. But he was worried about his two friends whom he had failed to save.
The four returned near the Rideau River, providing additional details to the 911 operator.
But on Thursday, things took a turn for the worse.
In the morning, Ottawa police confirmed the death of the first teenager and said they were continuing the search for the second teenager. Unfortunately, authorities later confirmed that a second body had been found.
Emmah Palmer and Seleina Elata's friend Ahmad Ahmad, 17, were the first to be found dead.
Mme Elatha mentioned that she spoke to the young man's mother when she heard the news.
“She was very upset,” she admitted, standing near the locks where the women said they had come to say goodbye to their friend.
“I couldn't stand it and she couldn't stand it. Tears came as soon as the call came. »
Mme His friend, who is proud to be of Iraqi descent, liked coming to the area because he found it peaceful.
Mme Palmer added that he is getting ready to celebrate his 18th birthday next month after graduating.
“Honestly, it doesn't make any sense. She was a beautiful person. It's unfair. He's 17 years old. »
Difficult situations
Emergency crews responded to a call about four teenagers who had fallen into the river from Nicholls Island Road around 9:45pm Wednesday.
Two of the youths were immediately rescued from the water and taken to hospital by paramedics, while two others, aged 16 and 17, are still missing.
Police divers later found the body of one of them. The second was discovered on Thursday.
During the nighttime rescue operation, divers recovered the first body in “extremely difficult conditions”, police admitted.
The search for the second missing teenager was halted overnight and did not resume Thursday morning. Just before 3pm, an underwater search and rescue unit arrived at the scene and pitched a tent near the river bank.
Three marked police vehicles were parked near the Rideau Canal locks on a rainy Thursday morning as warmer-than-average temperatures continued in Ottawa.
A yellow ribbon wrapped around the locks near the river, where a thin layer of long ice appeared out from the bank.
Police also cordoned off an area along the bank.
When asked for more details, a police spokesperson said he could not comment further on the police operation.
Similar events across the country
The incident in Rideau River comes amid similar incidents across the country.
RCMP in Alberta confirmed the deaths of three members of the same family this week ahead of Christmas.
RCMP also said one person died after falling through ice near Calgary on Christmas Day.
In November, RCMP in Saskatchewan reported two girls fell through ice on a lake. One of them died and two others who tried to save them died.
In Quebec this week, the search for a four-year-old girl who fell into the Mistasibi River in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is now considered a rescue operation rather than a safety mission, the Sûreté du Québec announced.
