Unresponsive individual in life jacket pulled from Ottawa River

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An unresponsive man wearing a life jacket was pulled from the Ottawa River by a water rescue unit on Friday afternoon.

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A spokesperson said Ottawa Fire Services responded to the Chaudière Rapids just before 4:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an individual in distress from the Gatineau fire department.

The Ottawa water rescue team launched from the Hull Marina and located the individual, who was unresponsive. Water rescue technicians started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in the boat and transported the individual back to the marina, where CPR efforts continued. Paramedics then transported the individual to hospital in Gatineau.

Following another report from the Ottawa Police Service, the fire services water rescue unit returned to the river just north of the Château Laurier Hotel and located an empty kayak and a backpack. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those items belonged to the unidentified individual who had been rescued earlier.

Gatineau police said the man was listed in critical condition.