Police divers recovered the body of an eastern Ontario man from the Ottawa River Tuesday, one day after his vehicle broke through the ice.
Friends who gathered at the shoreline said Jocelyn Belanger was trying to tow a fishing shack from the river when the ice cracked beneath him.
"Jocelyn was a happy-going person, always willing to help people. He enjoyed life and ice fishing," said friend Richard Leblanc.
"We were like a big family. It's hard to see a buddy like that go down."
Police have not officially released the man's identity, and are in the process of notifying next of kin.
Belanger -- who is originally from Sudbury, but now lives in Hammond, Ont. -- disappeared into the dark waters of the Ottawa River near Petrie Island at about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
The situation is a tragic reminder that ice on area rivers and lakes is very thin and dangerous at this time of year.
Police say all ice surfaces in the region are unsafe and warn people that operating equipment on frozen bodies of water can be dangerous.
The incident marks the third vehicle to break through the ice of the Ottawa River in eight days.
Last week, divers recovered the body of an Orleans woman from the Ottawa River after the truck she was riding in broke through the ice near Aylmer.
A day earlier, a man had a close call when he was rescued from the hood of his vehicle near Constance Bay after the ice cracked beneath his car, about an hour west of downtown Ottawa.
