Romanian family among group drowned attempting to cross from Canada to US

Eight individuals, including a Romanian family with two children, have died after attempting to cross the Saint Lawrence River from Canada to the United States more than a week ago. The group was trying to cross the border near Akwesasne, a community located at the border of Quebec, Ontario, and New York State, according to News.ro.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), through the Consulate General of Romania in Montreal, said that the Romanian citizenship of two of the victims, along with their names and ages, has been confirmed.

"The Canadian authorities have emphasized that, as the investigation is still ongoing, more information cannot be communicated at this time," MAE said.

The Embassy of Romania in Ottawa and the Consulate General of Romania in Montreal continue their dialogue with the local Canadian authorities and the families of the deceased regarding the repatriation of the bodies.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Police stated that the deceased Florin Iordache, 28 years old, had on him two Canadian passports for a two-year-old child and a one-year-old child, whose bodies were also recovered. Police identified another victim, 28-year-old Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache.

The family had been living in Canada for 5 years and although the children were born in the country, their asylum request was rejected by the authorities, and the four of them were facing deportation, according to Digi24. Mr. Iordache had been arrested back in 2018 for trying to cross into the US. In 2021, he and Monalisa, along with their firstborn, were stopped once again while trying to cross illegally, according to BBC.

This time, the family was trying to reach a relative living in the United States. They had reportedly paid a smuggler USD 3,000 to take them to the American shore.

The bodies of Pravin Chaudhary, 50, his wife Diksha, 45, their son Meet, 20, and their daughter Vidhi, 24, who were from the state of Gujarat in India, were also recovered from the water.

Police believe that the tragedy occurred on a stormy Wednesday night and are still searching for one more missing person in connection with this case. The missing person’s boat was found near the area where the victims' bodies were recovered.