Montreal emergency services rescued two young adults in critical condition from the Lachine Canal late Saturday night after one fell into the water and the other attempted a rescue.
According to the Montreal fire department, emergency services responded to the scene near René-Lévesque Park shortly before midnight following reports of the incident.
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The fire department and the Canadian Coast Guard deployed three boats to conduct a joint search operation in the area.
Fire officials stated that sonar equipment ultimately helped teams locate the two individuals, though authorities did not confirm how long they remained submerged.
Urgences-santé spokesperson Steve Macduff told Global News that six paramedics deployed to the scene provided immediate medical interventions before transporting both patients to the hospital.
Macduff confirmed that both individuals are in their early 20s, noting that one patient is male while the gender of the second remains unknown.
No updated status on the patients was available from Urgences-santé, and the coroner’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
The incident coincides with a push by the Société de sauvetage, Quebec’s water safety organization, urging the next provincial government to establish permanent funding for school swimming programs.
Société de sauvetage data reveals 22 people have drowned in Quebec so far this year, which matches figures from the same period in 2025.
However, river drownings spiked to approximately 60 percent of this year's total, compared to 27 percent during the same timeframe last year.
