ALMA — The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) recovered an unresponsive person from the Petite Décharge River in Alma, in the Lac-Saint-Jean region, on Sunday morning, after a man fell into the water on Saturday evening. The search for the man began at around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Relatives of the victim had seen him fall into the river from a pontoon boat near Avenue du Quai. The man’s relatives, who said he was in his sixties, tried to help him, but to no avail. Police combed the riverbanks using boats in an attempt to locate the victim, who was still missing on Sunday morning. Divers from the SQ arrived at the scene to join the search. The body was finally recovered at around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. The police worked with Rio Tinto and Domtar, who reduced the water flow to a minimum in the area, reported Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, a spokesperson for the SQ. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 16, 2026.
