Man dead after seaplane flips during takeoff on Montreal’s South Shore

A man in his 50s is dead and another has minor injuries after a seaplane overturned during takeoff from the Richelieu River on Friday morning in the Montérégie region, located on Montreal’s South Shore. 

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. near Saint-Basile-le-Grand, about 30 kilometres east of downtown Montreal.

One of the men managed to escape the aircraft and swim to shore, suffering only minor injuries, according to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).

The second man was trapped in the aircraft in the middle of the river.

Using boats, local firefighters from the Régie intermunicipale de sécurité incendie de la Vallée-du-Richelieu (RISIVR) rescued the second man by 2 p.m.

He was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

The aircraft was towed to shore.

The cause of the incident is not yet known, but the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating.