8 Bodies Recovered; 1 Person Remains Missing

In a late afternoon development, Police have recovered two more bodies in Akwesasne, an infant and a woman, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight, pulled from the St. Lawrence River near the Ontario-Quebec border. One person is still missing. Six bodies were recovered from the St. Lawrence River in Snye in Akwesasne, yesterday afternoon. Lee-Ann O’Brien is the Deputy Chief with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service announcing that Police had located Casey Oakes of Akwesasne’s vessel near the six bodies, after a storm had brought high winds and sleet through the area on Wednesday night. O’Brien was quoted as saying: “It was not a good time to be out on the water.”

Three of the victims are 20, 23 and 49 years old. Among the identification documents retrieved yesterday are two Indian passports, Canadian passports and a driver’s license or proof of Ontario residency. The 6 people rescued from the river are said to be from two different families, two nationals from India and a family of four from Romania.

Meanwhile 30-year-old Casey Oakes of Akwesasne remains missing, police said. Oakes was last seen on Wednesday boarding a small, light blue vessel, leaving Cornwall Island. He was dressed in black, wearing a black face mask and a black tuque.