The toddler had only been left alone for scant seconds but the next time her mother saw her she was floating lifeless in the family swimming pool.

Paramedics raced to the Kirkland home on Wednesday to try and revive the 16-month-old child but say she had gone into cardiac arrest.

The girl's death was the 40th drowning recorded in Quebec since the beginning of the year, says the Quebec Lifesaving Society.

Stéphane Smith, a spokesman for the Urgences Santé ambulance service, said emergency crews were sent to the suburban home after a morning call from the child's mother.

"The woman was with her daughter," Smith said as he recounted the chain of events. "The little girl was watching television. The woman went upstairs to fix something on the second floor".

"She came back a maximum of one minute later and realized the little girl had gotten through the patio doors."

The pool, which had no fence, lay beyond the unlocked doors and Smith said the child fell in and drowned.

The mother called 911 and paramedics immediately went to work on the child even though there were no signs of life.

Neighbours said they heard a shriek from the house around 9:40 a.m. and watched the emergency crew try to revive the toddler. on the child.

"They were working on her, and then we saw the mother come out, and she was taken away by ambulance," said neighbour Rosemary West.

Rescue workers continued resuscitation efforts en route to hospital, but the toddler was declared dead shortly afterward.

Smith said the parents were treated for shock.

It appears the death was an accident, but police are investigating to determine the exact circumstances, said Const. Anie Lemieux.

The number of drownings has spiked in Quebec this year, compared to last year. Normally July and August are prime months for drownings in the province.

That rise could be explained by warm weather, which "increases the probability of incidents and accidents," said Quebec Lifesaving Society director Raynald Hawkins.

Hawkins urged people to heed security precautions.

In Quebec City, Health Minister Yves Bolduc encouraged people to be careful when going in the water.

"It's true we have more drownings this summer," he said. "It's worrying when you look at it."

Bolduc is in favour of children being taught water safety as soon as possible — but adults also have to take responsibility.

"It's a question of surveillance, it's a question of protection," he said.

With files from the Canadian Press