20 Year-Old Osheaga Attendee Drowns In Parc Jean-Drapeau's Olympic Basin

A 20-year old man drowned in Montreal's Olympic Basin after leaving Osheaga on Sunday night (August 4).

According to reports in the Montreal Gazette and Canadian Press, friends called 9-1-1 around 7:45 p.m. when they lost sight of him in the Olympic Basin. The man was recovered from the water roughly an hour later.

The Olympic Basin is on Île Notre-Dame, which is connected by bridge to Île Ste-Hélène, the island where Osheaga is held. Both islands are part of Parc Jean-Drapeau.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic death and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of this young man," Evenko — the company that produces Osheaga — said in a statement to The Gazette. "We are co-operating with the SPVM investigation, which is currently underway in connection with this sad event. No further details are available at this time.”

“We send our most sincere condolences and deep sympathy to the victim’s loved ones,” said the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, in a statement to The Gazette. The Société characterized the Olympic Basin as “a high-level sports facility meeting standardized safety criteria."

“Due to the island nature of Parc Jean-Drapeau, access to the banks and bodies of water requires increased vigilance. To deal with this particular character of the park, specific surveillance is in place, with regular patrols throughout the territory," the Société added. "A team is also responsible for detecting risky behaviours and intervening with people in potential distress, whether these are problems related to depression, alcohol or drugs, or other factors."

In 2018, a teenager was found dead in the St. Lawrence river after attending Osheaga.

Evenko has not responded to a request for comment on safety procedures to prevent drowning, The Gazette reports.