West Kelowna man who died in Okanagan Lake identified

UPDATE:  The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died in Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna on March 1, 2016.

He was Donald Brian Jules, aged 40, of Westbank.

The B.C. Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate.

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – Rescuers were dispatched to Gellatly Bay on Okanagan Lake just after 8 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a man in distress in the water.

Fire crews were able to get the man out of the water, but he wasn’t able to be revived.

“Emergency crews performed CPR on the man, while he was transported to hospital in the care of Advanced Life Support,” said Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey. “Sadly, the 40-year-old West Kelowna man has succumbed to his injuries.”

Reports to 911 were of a man screaming for help near the old ferry wharf, according to the fire department, which reports the man was submerged in the cold lake for at least 30 minutes.

Fire crews used a thermal imaging camera to locate the submerged man, a piece of equipment all West Kelowna rescue vehicles carry, according to Watson.

Rescuers suited up in protective gear to enter the water and retrieve the man from a depth of about five metres. His limp body was hoisted into the rescue boat.

The man was fully clothed in a dark sweater, jeans and dark shoes when he was pulled from the water.

There is no indication as to why or how the man was in the lake.