A 50-year-old woman in a motorized wheelchair died after falling into the Rideau Canal on Sunday, despite the efforts of five police officers who jumped into the water to rescue her.

The incident took place under the Laurier Street Bridge on the east side of the canal around 1 p.m. ET, said an Ottawa police news release.

There are no barriers barring access to the canal at that location, said police Const. Jean-Paul Vincelette.

However, police suggested Monday that the incident did not appear to be an accident. Nor do they suspect foul play.

The woman, whose name is not being released, was sent to hospital in critical condition, according to an Ottawa Paramedic Service news release.

She died in hospital, police said, attributing the death to drowning.

Police said the woman was a paraplegic.