English teen drowns in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island

WATCH ABOVE: Three separate fatalities in a deadly weekend on the water in BC is prompting a renewed warning about drowning prevention. Julia Foy reports.

A 17-year-old rugby player from London, England drowned in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island.

Coroner Matt Brown says in a news release that Abdu-Jamal Ottun was touring B.C. with his squad and was swimming in Shawnigan Lake north of Victoria when his teammates noticed him missing late Sunday afternoon.

Police, fire and rescue units responded and arrived on scene within minutes. About five minutes later, a Shawnigan Lake Fire Department member, who was in the water, found located the teen’s body in about three-and-half metres of water.

He was brought to a nearby dock, but despite the best efforts of BC Ambulance Service paramedics, Ottun was pronounced dead.

Based on the preliminary findings of the police investigation, Mounties say foul play has been ruled out in this death.  The BC Coroners Service is now leading the ongoing investigation.

This is the third accident in B.C. waters this past weekend. On Sunday, the Port Alberni RCMP say they retrieved the body of a missing boater from the bottom of Sproat Lake.

The man was in a speedboat with one other person when it flipped and splintered into pieces on Sproat Lake, sending the two of them flying.

Quick-acting bystanders were able to rescue one man from the lake. He was airlifted to a Victoria hospital with serious injuries.

RCMP say the deceased man was 41 years old, but have not released his identity.

A woman also drowned in a boating accident on Shuswap Lake.

Sicamous RCMP say the incident happened about 15 kilometres north of the community at Cinnemousun Narrrows.

The 22-year-old woman is from Alberta, but police are not saying how she died at this time.

-With files from Canadian Press