Overnight irregular border crossing leaves 8 in serious condition in Quebec: RCMP

Eight people who crossed into Canada irregularly Friday night near Hemmingford in Quebec’s Montérégie region were rescued after an hours-long search in extreme cold. 

RCMP say the group was flagged by U.S. border systems around 9:30 p.m. but could not immediately be located. 

Around 3:30 a.m., officers intercepted a man who said he was coming to pick up a group, and shortly afterward, seven of the eight migrants were located, several suffering from hypothermia and frostbite.

With help from the Sûreté du Québec and RCMP drone teams, the final individual was located around 7:30 a.m.

All eight were taken to hospital and will be processed by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Saturday’s rescue follows a similar event Christmas day in which RCMP intercepted and deported 19 migrants of Haitian origin, who crossed into Canada via Quebec’s Havelock region.

At the time RCMP had warned that it was extremely dangerous to attempt to cross the border illegally, especially in winter, when people are often ill-equipped to cope with the cold.