SUMMERSTOWN – An intense search on the St. Lawrence River, east of Cornwall, has been called off.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they received a call around 8 a.m. about something floating in the river.
AMPS first sent out its marine unit to investigate before the Hogansburg-Akwesasne Fire Department, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police and the Cornwall Regional Task Force Marine Unit were called to assist in the search.
A Griffon helicopter from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center at CFB Trenton had been buzzing across the St. Lawrence near Stanley Island at Summerstown this afternoon (Friday), drawing curiosity from nearby residents.
A spokesman for the Department of National Defence told Cornwall Newswatch, they were assisting in aerial surveillance with the other marine units.
Hogansburg-Akwesasne Fire Department Chief Clinton Jacobs told Akwesasne TV a boat was found “floating in the Snye channel near King’s Marina” around 7:30 a.m.
Jacobs said nobody was in the boat.
“We got a call afterwards that (there was) a possible body floating in the St. Lawrence. Somebody had went to Canadian Customs and reported it,” Jacobs told Akwesasne TV.
Jacobs said they initially received a report of three people missing but they have been accounted for.
Late this afternoon, Lee-Ann O’Brien, acting chief with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, told CNW they don’t believe anyone is unaccounted for or missing at this time.
“No persons were located during the search. At this time police do not believe there is a missing person,” O’Brien said in a statement.
The Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department terminated its search at 3:39 p.m. after “negative results,” the department said on its Facebook page.
In a Facebook posting, Derek Comins, acting supervisor with the Akwesasne Mohawk Ambulance, said the Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department two marine units were assisting in a search.
An HAVFD incident command post was also set up on the south shore of the river.