An enjoyable swim at the quarry here on Monday evening turned in an instant into a fatal outing for a Kitchener man and a “terrifying” experience for onlookers.
Thanh Le, 32, of Kitchener, drowned on June 24 at the popular Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) quarry on Wellington Road 18 just outside Elora.
Le’s body was recovered from the spring-fed waters by OPP divers early the next morning. He was pronounced dead by Guelph coroner Ian MacPhee, who said an autopsy was to be conducted within 48 hours.
Amanda Sarrazin, also of Kitchener, did not know the victim but witnessed the drowning.
“We all saw [Le] out there. He looked tired but was making his way back. He wasn’t yelling out for help or waving his arms or anything,” Sarrazin told the Advertiser via Twitter.
“He looked fine and then went under and didn’t come back up. Once a few seconds went by and [we] noticed he wasn’t there, we all started to search.”
Sarrazin dialed 911 – at about 6:15pm, according to police – spoke to a 911 dispatcher and then handed her phone off to a GRCA employee, who confirmed the quarry address. Then Sarrazin joined the search herself.
“The water was too deep. No one could see or feel anything and no one could get to the bottom fast enough to look without running out of breath,” she recalled.
Dave Schultz, GRCA manager of communications, confirmed a call was made at around 6:15pm from the park.
“We had security staff and people on the beach told him something was going on,” Schultz told reporters at the park entrance on Tuesday.
Schultz added firefighters from the Centre Wellington fire department and paramedics from Guelph-Wellington EMS responded to the call, in addition to police.
“They (firefighters) got here pretty quickly with their boat and started the search,” said Schultz.
He noted the park had about 100 visitors at the time of the incident and was staffed by two security personnel.
Sarrazin said guests at the quarry were asked to leave shortly after emergency responders arrived.
“It was the most terrifying thing I have ever come across and I send my deepest sympathies to his friends and family,” she said.
OPP media relations officer Cheri Rockefeller said Le was visiting the park with friends. She added relatives were notified of the incident Monday evening and several arrived at the scene early on Tuesday morning.
Rockefeller said the search was suspended overnight because the OPP dive team does not conduct night water searches “due to regulations.”
Police closed off the park overnight until the dive team arrived from Gravenhurst at around 9am.
Schultz said the GRCA considers safety at all its parks a top priority.
“We’re always keeping an eye on safety and security at our parks,” he said.
Schultz noted he spoke with longtime staff who could not recall the last time there was a drowning at the quarry.
The last time there was a drowning at a GRCA facility was in 2005 when three drownings took place at the Belwood quarry (two children died around June of that year and a third drowning happened in September).
The GRCA has owned and operated the Elora Quarry since 1976. Schultz said the quarry itself is about two acres in size, while the park is 79 acres total. The deepest point of the quarry is about 15 feet. The swimming area is open weekdays from 11am to 8pm and on weekends from 10am to 8pm and is posted with signs prohibiting diving from the cliffs, which was not a contributing factor in the drowning.
Schultz said the quarry was re-opened to the public at round 2pm on Tuesday.
– With files from Chris Daponte
