Members of the The Ottawa police underwater search team placed an unmanned search and rescue vehicle in the Rideau River on Thursday.
This tragedy follows the death of an Alberta family who was found drowned the day after Christmas in Lake Sainte-Anne after leaving the road. The same day, a man died falling through the ice on the Bow River, west of Calgary.
In Quebec, a four-year-old girl fell into the Mistassibi River while sledding with her mother last Friday. His body has not yet been found.
One week after the tragedy, the body of the little girl who sank into the Mistassibi River in Dolbeau-Mistassini remains untraceable.
Ice can be very deceptive… People look at it and think it's solid when it's not, said Stephanie Bakalar, communications manager at the Lifesaving Society .
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The southern Gaza Strip, scene of intense bombardments, day and night
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According to her, about a third of drownings in Canada occur between October and May because of thin ice and frigid water. Temperature fluctuations are also particularly dangerous.
Maybe to you it looks frozen, but underneath it probably isn't. As temperatures rise and fall, [the ice] freezes, melts and refreezes […] It's very dangerous.
A quote from Stephanie Bakalar, communications manager to the Lifesaving Society
Ms. Bakalar says people should measure the thickness of the ice using an auger, a device that allows you to drill and take a sample of ice.
The ice must be at least 10 centimeters thick to support the weight of one person and must be thicker if there are more people, explains the manager communications at the Lifesaving Society.
If you drive a car on ice, the thickness of the ice must be at least 20 to 30 centimeters.
A warning poster of thin ice near a stream in Regina, Saskatchewan. (File photo)
If you fall in the water, Ms. Bakalar recommends: x27;try to return to the ice on your stomach or get into a tuck position: lying on your back, arms wrapped around your knees, head out of the water, while calling for water ;help.
If someone else falls at the' water, she advises not to go towards this person in order to try to save them. The manager suggests instead trying to throw her an object that floats or that she can cling to.
Based on a text by Kimberley Molina, from CBC