Canada tragedy: one dead, five tourists missing after their snowmobiles fall through ice
- Nine people, including guide, were on the trip when the ice broke underneath them
- Police and army search the area, assisted by divers
A Canadian guide died and five French tourists were missing after their snowmobiles plunged through ice into freezing water in northern Quebec.
The group were riding near where a river exits the Saint-Jean lake, and were outside the approved area for snowmobiles, police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu said.
Nine people, including the excursion guide, were on the trip when the ice broke underneath them in the dark on Tuesday evening.
Police said they were alerted by two of the tourists who had rescued a third from the water.
The 42-year-old guide, Benoit L’Esperance of Montreal, was pulled out by emergency response teams and taken to hospital, but he died overnight, Beaulieu said, adding “five French tourists are still missing”.
Officials on Wednesday said that details of the accident remained unclear.