Chilliwack father drowns in Osoyoos Lake while on vacation

A Chilliwack, B.C., man vacationing with his family in the resort town of Osoyoos, B.C., tragically drowned on Tuesday afternoon.

Osoyoos RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda said the man was staying at the Nk’Mip RV Park when he entered the shallow water of Osoyoos Lake to play with his young child.

The South Okanagan community broke a high-temperature record on Tuesday, reaching a sweltering 45 C.

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As the pair went to cool off, beachgoers noticed the child was alone and his father was missing just before 5 p.m.

Friends and family quickly located the man unresponsive in the lake. The water was less than waist deep, Bayda said.

The man was not wearing a life-jacket.

“Life-saving measures were initiated by his friends and others in the area and continued by first responders. Sadly, he passed away,” Bayda wrote in a statement.

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The BC Coroners Service is also investigating the man’s unexpected death, in an effort to determine how, where, when and by what means the man died.

To protect the privacy of the deceased, his name will not be released.

Many Lower Mainland residents are flocking to the Okanagan as B.C. reopens following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 15, intra-provincial travel restrictions were lifted.