A 37-year-old man has died after a boating incident in Mission, B.C.
Police were notified on Friday at 6:30 p.m. of a small boat overturning in the water near Dewdney Bridge in the Nicomen Slough.
Two men were in a small flat-bottom aluminum boat and were allegedly seen doing doughnuts in the water when they hit their own wake. They were both ejected from the boat.
Neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing life jackets.
“Alcohol may also have played a factor in the incident,” says Cpl. Harrison Mohr.
The passenger of the boat was able to swim to shore, but the operator was missing.
Mission Search and Rescue, Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue and South Fraser Search and Rescue spent Friday evening and Saturday searching for the man.
Nicomen Slough is about twelve feet deep.
Later in the day on Saturday, search and rescue crews were able to locate and recover the body of the boat operator who died.
"Mission Search and Rescue and Mission RCMP would like to thank the public for their concern, especially those who offered to assist in the search efforts,” says Mohr. “We send our deepest condolences to the man’s family and friends.”
RCMP is reminding people to always wear a life jacket when on the water.
