Thirteen-year-old boy dies while snowboarding at Mont-Garceau

A 13-year-old boy is dead after a snowboarding accident at Mont-Garceau.

A 13-year-old boy has died after a snowboarding accident at Mont-Garceau on Friday afternoon.

The boy was snowboarding off-trails and the snow appears to have collapsed, according to a spokesperson for Surete du Quebec. The boy then fell in a stream where he was found unconscious at 2:45 p.m. by two friends.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:00 p.m.

"From myself and all the team here, we'd like to offer our deepest, most sincere condolences to the victim's family," said Ski Mont-Garceau President Martin Gauthier. "This is a shocking and sad accident."

Gauthier said it was the first time a tragedy like this has occurred in the 51-year history of the hill, which is located 130 km north of Montreal. On Saturday, flags at the mountain were lowered to half-mast to commemorate the boy.

Police said the boy was familiar with the mountain. An investigation is underway, but police said it appears to be an accident.

Manitchou Plamondon, a ski school director at Mont-Garceau, knew the boy.

"He was well-known and very much appreciated by his friends," she said. "He was a very nice little guy. We are very touched."