2 dead after vehicle plunges into river near Montreal during police chase

Officials remove a car from a river after two people died when the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a river near Montreal as it was being pursued. (Scott Prouse/CTV News)

The police oversight body in Quebec has launched an investigation after two people died when the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a river near Montreal as it was being pursued.

At 1:11 a.m. on Wednesday, officers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spotted a vehicle whose owner was allegedly in violation of a probation order.

They attempted to intercept it, according to a news release from the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).

A few minutes later, the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which ended up in the Rivière Delisle, near Côteau-du-Lac, Que., about 60 kilometres west of Montreal.

“Two people in the vehicle were pulled from the river with serious injuries and were reportedly taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead,” the BEI said.

Noovo Info reported that the driver of the vehicle was an 18-year-old man, while the age of the passenger is not yet known.

Seven BEI investigators have been assigned to better understand the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Montreal police (SPVM) were also called to support the investigation.

With files from Noovo Info