Search and rescue officials from Laval were hoping to resume an emergency operation in the Rivière des Mille Îles in Laval-sur-le Lac Sunday morning after a vehicle ended up in the river Friday evening and one of the occupants, a one-month-old baby, was reported missing.
The search and rescue op was underway all day Saturday on a stretch of the river running next to Les Érables St. in Laval on the shore opposite the City of Deux-Montagnes.
Police were first alerted to the unfolding calamity shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday when they received a 9-1-1 call reporting a car was partially submerged in the river.
A search team was quickly sent and managed to rescue the mother, age 40, and her daughter, but had to give up the search for the missing baby when it became too dark Friday evening.
The operation began again on Saturday morning, with Sûreté du Québec divers mounting a careful search of the water and a helicopter closely monitoring the river from overhead. A rescue boat from the Laval Fire Dept. also took part in the operation, as did a police drone overhead.
The search continued until sundown on Saturday. The Rivière des Mille îles is considered to be especially treacherous in the area, with quickly-flowing rapids.
Residents living alongside the Rivière des Mille Îles are being asked by the LPD to keep an eye on the shoreline where it runs past their property as it is feared the missing child may have been carried a considerable distance with the strong current.
