It could have been fireworks, or a flare set off late at night, but after nearly 14 hours spent searching the water, rescue crews have determined there is nothing to be found in the Ottawa River.
Around 10 p.m. on Monday night, police on both sides of the river received reports of a loud boom and lights hitting the water near the Deschenes Rapids close to the Britannia Yacht Club.
Ottawa Police Const. Alain Boucher said the description from numerous witnesses lead police to believe that some object, possibly a small aircraft, had crashed into the water.
Police contacted airfields in the region, but none were reporting missing aircraft, and no missing persons had been reported.
Yesterday afternoon, search crews using sonar and underwater cameras came across an object around 30 feet underwater, but the size and shape did not match the fuselage of a plane or helicopter, said Boucher.
“We’ve concluded that there is nothing in the river for us to find in terms of an airplane or a helicopter or something that went down last night,” said Boucher.
