OPP recovered the body of a North York man who they say managed to save one of his children after their canoe capsized on a lake near Minden on Saturday afternoon.
According to Haliburton Highlands OPP, around 2:30 p.m., emergency crews were called to assist a capsized canoe on Moore Lake just south of Minden. Police say a family of four — a man, woman and two children — were paddling on the lake when the canoe capsized.
Sgt. Jason Folz of OPP Central Region says nearby boaters arrived at the scene to assist the family as the woman and two children were safely pulled from the water.
“The man involved in the boating incident passed one of the young children to an individual on one of the rescue boats before slipping under the water,” Folz stated.
Folz said the OPP’s helicopter and its underwater search and recovery unit were dispatched to Moore Lake to help Minden Hills Fire Department search for and recover the missing man.
Shortly after 6 p.m., the body of the 39-year-old North York man was recovered, Folz said.
“Investigators are citing absence of safety equipment as a significant contributing factor in this tragedy,” Folz stated.
The name of the victim has yet to be released.