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OPP sends safety warning after increase in drowning deaths

An Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson says the service is investigating after Thursday’s early-morning Amber Alert was not sent to cell phones across the province. Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press/File

Ontario Provincial Police are urging Londoners to take extra precautions when it comes to boating safety.

The warning comes after three marine fatalities already this year, which already matches the total number of deaths for 2016.

“We are just at the beginning of the boating season and we are already exceeding where we were last year, that’s extremely concerning,” said Sergeant Dave Rektor of the Ontario Provincial Police.

“Two of those incidents involved people not wearing their life jackets, and we are currently in the midst of trying to find another person who fell out of a capsized vessel in the Bruce Peninsula’s area, which could mean we would be at four fatalities.”

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The OPP are reminding all boating enthusiasts that water temperatures around the great lakes range from 3-10 degrees Celsius during may and June. At that temperature, even above average swimmers will be overcome by the effects of hypothermia and will likely drown if not wearing a personal flotation device.

 

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