An investigation is underway into the deaths of four Quebec females, all of whom were found in a submerged car near the locks northeast of Kingston, Ont.
Three of the victims are teenagers, ages, 13, 17 and 19, along with a 50-year-old woman, described only as a relative.
Police say a Parks Canada employee discovered the submerged car at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The car was covered by about five metres of water.
The group were in Ontario for a vacation and were on their way back to Quebec.
"It breaks my heart just saying it," Const. Michael Menor, Kingston Police spokesperson, told The Canadian Press. "You have a family, they've all drowned. It's just horrifyingly tragic."
Police say it's unclear what the group was going near the locks. The giant locks are used to lift boats to different levels of water and were built in the early 1800s.
"It's very, very peculiar. There's no rhyme or reason," Menor said. "It's just not an area that anyone would drive their car out to."
A post-mortem examination is expected to take place Thursday.
Police say the deaths are considered suspicious until the investigation proves otherwise.
"Right now we've got pretty much our whole detective office trying to figure this one out. Hopefully we can," Menor said. "It's a bit of a mystery, but we're going to do our darndest."
With files from The Canadian Press
