Quebec senior buried under snow rescued by police officers, neighbours

Firefighters help rescue a woman in her 80s after she was trapped under her temporary car shelter, which collapsed under the weight of heavy snowfall during a storm on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (Source: Service de sécurité incendie de L'Assomption)

A Quebec woman in her 80s was rescued Sunday evening after she was buried under the snow during the blizzard that swept through the region, police say.

Officers from the Saint-Sulpice and l’Assomption police service were called by the woman’s husband after he became worried she didn’t return home from looking after a neighbour’s pet in the suburb about 50 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

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The first officer to arrive on scene noticed that the temporary car shelter — known in Quebec as tempos — had collapsed under the weight of the snow, trapping the woman. Officers noticed her coat in the pile of snow and rushed to free her.

She was breathing and conscious, police noted in a post on their Facebook page.

“The police worked with the L’Assomption fire department and paramedics to evacuate the woman quickly and get her to hospital. Thanks to everyone’s quick intervention, the woman is out of danger,” the post reads.

Police also thanked neighbours for helping with the evacuation by clearing the driveway with their snow blowers and shovels.