The warning follows the death Saturday of a snowmobiler who plunged into a small lake near Godbout, about 350 kilometres north of Quebec City. The man’s two companions were rescued and are recuperating in the hospital.
The surface of a lake or river can appear frozen, but the thickness of the ice might not be enough to bear the weight of a snowmobile and its riders, the Quebec snowmobile organization says. Ice should be at least 15 centimetres thick before snowmobilers venture onto a lake or river.
Drowning is one of the main causes of death in snowmobile accidents, the snowmobile organization noted in a news release today.
Snowmobile route conditions and warnings are available on the group’s web site.
