'Wall of water' kills mother, son

A woman and her young son are dead after being swept over a cliff by water released from a dam on the Madawaska River.

OPP Const. Janice Sawbridge said, "It was described to us as a wall of water and people didn't have time to react."

Police say the gush was released Sunday from the Barrett Chute hydro dam, about 100 km west of Ottawa.

It washed away the mother and son who were sunbathing on a cliff, sending them crashing onto rocks 10 metres below.

The victims have been identified as 32-year-old Cindy (Cynthia) Cadieux and seven-year-old Aaron, both from Renfrew, Ont.

As many as 20 people were in the water or sunbathing on the rocks at High Falls when a surge of water was released by the Barrett Chute dam. But Sawbridge says investigators still don't have an accurate count of the number of people there at the time of the accident.

Sawbridge also says there are no signs posted in the area that suggest it's a potentially dangerous place to be.

She says several people went to hospitals in Renfrew and Arnprior for treatment of cuts, bruises and broken bones.

Police are interviewing Ontario Power Generation officials. OPG says it will cooperate with the investigation.