Friends and family of man presumed drowned in Niagara whirlpool push police to keep searching

A man is presumed dead after falling into the Niagara River whirlpool last weekend and regional police have suspended their formal search — although friends and family are working to encourage them to keep looking for the 25-year-old.

Two people who say they’re friends identified the missing man as Shubham Manchanda. Until recently, he was an international student from India who began attending Durham College in Oshawa, Ont., three years ago.

They say Manchanda was living in Thorold and had been working in St. Catharines at an IT and consulting company over the last six months.

He loved nature and was out for a hike on the afternoon of June 15 when he and his friends went down to the riverbank, his friends told CBC.

The two weren’t with Manchanda last Saturday. But they said they’ve spoken to people who were and were told Manchanda, who couldn’t swim, slipped and fell from a rock into the Niagara River and was swept away by the current.

CBC Hamilton also spoke with a person who was hiking in the area that day, Jason Herterich, who said he heard shouting and saw a person drifting downstream.

Niagara regional police, Niagara Falls Fire and the Canadian Coast Guard searched but to no avail, police say.

Friends, family and supporters have been using social media to raise awareness and encourage police to continue to look for him.

Manish Arora, who lives in Faridabad, India, said he has been friends with Manchanda since they were 10 years old. Speaking with CBC Hamilton by phone, he said the two grew up in the same neighbourhood and were close, like family.

“He would [have done] very, very big things in his life,” Arora said.

Arora said family and friends in India are in touch with one another and have communicated with police, encouraging them to continue searching.

They’re “still traumatized,” Arora said, and feeling helpless given they’re so far away.

Niagara police suspend search after several days

“We recognize the tragic loss for this family,” Niagara police spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin said in an email Wednesday.

She said officers conducted “extensive and exhaustive searches from air, land and water,” and while a formal search has been suspended, the marine unit continues to keep an eye out while on patrol.

“Due to the vast area of water and unpredictability of the environment, the search has been suspended after several days utilizing all available resources, unfortunately unsuccessful at this time.”

Arora wrote a post about what happened to Manchanda and shared photos of him on Instagram to raise awareness and encourage further searching.

“We cannot sit and wait for his body to come up.”

The naturally occurring whirlpool is downstream from Niagara Falls and bordered by the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve.

On its website, Niagara Parks states the whirlpool and rapids that precede it are created by water rushing over the Horseshoe Falls crushing into the narrow Niagara Gorge.

“The rapids in the Niagara River are among the most powerful and dangerous in the world,” the site reads.

Niagara Parks spokesperson Chris Giles declined to comment on what may have happened to Manchanda, saying only that police are investigating.

“Those rapids are incredibly fast,” said Herterich, the Toronto resident who was nearby. He was taking a break by the river and saw four other people standing on a rock by the water. Herterich said that as he prepared to leave, he heard shouting and saw a person carried away by the current before losing sight of him.

Herterich said he called police and went to support Manchanda’s friends while they searched the riverbank downstream and waited for officers to arrive.

“I could tell they were all in shock from the whole ordeal.”

Before leaving, he said, he gave each of Manchanda’s friends a hug.

Friend remembers Manchanda’s humour

Nisha Parihaar, who lives in St. Catharines, said she worked with Manchanda at the IT company, where they were both sales consultants.

“He was very hard working and had a very good heart,” she said, adding co-workers appreciated his humour and “jolly nature.”

Parihaar said the friends Manchanda was hiking with that day were also co-workers and she had joined them on a hike in St. Catharines a few weeks ago. She said Manchanda enjoyed spending time in nature.

According to a 2024 report prepared for the Lifesaving Society by Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada, there were 211 water-related deaths in 2020, the most recent year available.

From 2016 to 2020, 77 per cent of drowning victims were male. Nineteen per cent of drownings occurred in rivers and 12 per cent occurred when people were walking, running or playing near water.

Herterich said he wanted to speak out because to raise awareness about the dangers of the river. He feels there should be more warning signs and perhaps the area where Manchanda fell should be blocked off.

A safety page on the Niagara Parks website that discusses the site shows a sign warning of drowning risk. The website warns visitors to stay away from the water, noting the rapids travel at 40 km/h and can overpower strong swimmers.

“The shoreline is uneven and treacherous, lined with jagged rocks and boulders,” the site says. “Know your limits and avoid navigating the shoreline which could lead to accidentally falling into the water.”