Two men are dead after a pair of boats collided on Osoyoos Lake Saturday evening.
Three others were transported to hospital with serious injuries, RCMP said.
WATCH: Osoyoos boat crash eye witness describes ‘horrific’ crash
RCMP confirmed Monday that the bodies of two men — a 35-year-old from Kamloops and a 36-year-old Maple Ridge — were recovered from the lake.
On Monday, the BC Coroners Service confirmed it is investigating the deaths.
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The RCMP say they are working to raise both boats from the bottom of the lake. The investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing.
Sgt. Jason Bayda said Sunday that RCMP received numerous reports of a collision on the water between Highway 3 and Swiws Provincial Park/Haynes Point around 7:15 p.m.
Osoyoos fire chief Ryan McCaskill was one of the first responders and said other boaters in the area rushed to the aid of the injured.
“When I got there I just saw boats coming to shore. You couldn’t see anything where the actual crash was — the boats had already sunk,” he told Global News on Sunday.
“There was one boat attempting to hold one of the boats up. They put a rope on it, but it was dragging them under so they had to let it go.”
He said the boats involved appeared to be an aluminum fishing boat and a red wooden boat.
Witnesses reported that one boat T-boned another on the lake, but that has not been confirmed by authorities.
“Not too many people saw what happened — they heard a bang,” McCaskill said.
Residents said a flurry of emergency vehicles flooded the area near the beach access on Magnolia Place, and Oleander Drive was blocked off to traffic.
The Oliver/Osoyoos search and rescue team said it did not respond to the incident.
Witnesses are asked to contact the Osoyoos RCMP detachment.
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