Quebec: Two French tourists lose their lives on snowmobiles

ACCIDENT, The two victims are a mother and her 11 year old son

Two French tourists, a mother and her son, lost their lives in a snowmobile accident in Quebec on Sunday. This 55-year-old woman and her 11-year-old son were aboard the device near a river when the accident took place in a nature reserve, said the provincial police. An official source confirmed that these two tourists were French nationals.

"The boy's body was found in the river. 

The body of the mother is still missing, "said a spokeswoman for the SQ, noting that the alert was given Sunday at 16:45 (21:45 GMT) by the guide who accompanied them.

The research was interrupted Monday afternoon, but "it is possible to use a helicopter," she said.

The water in the river was icy

The two tourists were riding on snowmobile trails and "the accident happened near a bridge," the policewoman added, noting that they "may have" fallen into the river.

Given the icy temperature of the water, their chances of survival were nil.

At least four other French nationals have lost their lives in snowmobile accidents in Quebec over the last decade, according to the CBC. 

Invented in the 1960s in Quebec by the founder of the aerospace group Bombardier, snowmobiling is a popular means of transport in winter in Canada, with more than 600,000 registered vehicles.