Police recover body of man who went missing while swimming at Verdun beach

Montreal police (SPVM) have recovered the body of a man who went missing Friday night while swimming near Verdun beach.

According to Montreal spokesperson Manuel Couture, the body was recovered after midnight. Couture said the victim is between 18 and 20 years old.

There is no criminal investigation and the case has been transferred to the Quebec coroner.

“It seems like it was really an accident” Couture told CTV News.

Authorities received a call around 7:30 p.m. Friday about reports of a person missing in the water. Two men were swimming together, and only one managed to make it back to shore.

• READ MORE: Montreal’s Verdun beach launches new safety efforts after last year’s drownings

This comes after the borough launched a safety awareness campaign this month after three men drowned at Verdun beach in separate incidents last summer.

The borough’s spokesperson Jude Bergeron told CTV News that the beach opened today as scheduled for its opening day.

‘St. Lawrence River is really unpredictable’

According to Verdun mayor Céline-Audrey Beauregard, the drowning occurred outside the supervised swimming area and hours.

The three drownings last summer also took place outside the supervised swimming area and hours.

“The St. Lawrence River is really unpredictable and can be really dangerous,” Beauregard told CTV News.

“Even if it’s close to the supervised area, there’s too much current, sometimes people are not accustomed to swim in this type of environment. The depth of the river also varies (...) nature is sometimes stronger than us.”

“It’s really unfortunate for us to start the season like this.”