A Greek-Canadian woman has drowned after being dragged by a strong current near a waterfall in Quebec, Canada.
Maria Pantazopoulos, 30, was being photographed in her wedding dress whilst standing in the water by the waterfall when she slipped and was swept away by the river. Her body was found four hours later, 30 metres away in a river basin.
Ms Pantazopoulos was married on June 9 and was having photos taken in her dress with the picturesque Dorwin Falls as a backdrop in Rawdon, north of Montreal.
Police reported that she was being photographed with her feet in the water when the dress became saturated with water, leaving her unable to stay above water. Sergeant Ronald McInnis said the photographer and a bystander tried to rescue Ms Pantazopoulos but were unable to because of the weight of the dress.
“She had her wedding dress on and she said, ‘take some pictures of me while I swim a little bit in the lake’, she went in and her dress got heavy, I tried everything I could to save her,” said photographer Louis Pagakis, Canadian broadcaster CTV reported.
It was understood that Ms Pantazopoulos may have been doing a “trash the dress” wedding photo shoot, where the bride has her picture taken in an unusual location.