Friends and colleagues of a Calgary man are in mourning after the man drowned while on vacation in Jamaica earlier this week.
Local police say the incident happened Tuesday morning, just off the coast of Negril, a popular resort town on the far west side of the island nation.
Investigators tell Global News that the boat that 68-year-old Jean D’Amour was in, along with two other people, capsized when it was overwhelmed with heavy waves.
All three of them were pulled from the water. The two others survived, but D’Amour was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby medical centre.
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A statement released by the company where he worked, the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, says D’Amour had been an employee for more than 20 years.
President and CEO, Scott Hamilton, described him as an “icon” within the Alberta construction industry who was generous with his knowledge, deeply respected and genuinely loved.
Hamilton said he will be dearly missed by his colleagues and industry and extended his condolences to D’Amour’s family and friends.
News of his death has also sparked questions about why the men were out on the water that day.
Residents and witnesses told the Jamaican media that the waves were dangerously high and the boat carrying D’Amour was one of the only vessels on the water.
Police say the investigation into the incident, including the condition of the boat and the sea conditions at the time of the man’s death, is continuing.
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