Crews search waters for man who fell off a sailboat near Nanaimo, B.C.

NANAIMO, B.C. – The RCMP say a search was underway in the waters off Nanaimo, B.C., for a man who is presumed to have drowned after falling off a sailboat.

Police say they were called Monday evening to a report that a woman had fallen overboard and a vessel from the Nanaimo Port Authority found her clinging to a rope tied to an anchored sailboat.

The RCMP say the woman was hypothermic and intoxicated and was being treated in a local hospital.

But police say the man, who is believed to be the woman’s 59-year-old partner, has not been seen.

A search by a coast guard hovercraft, a port authority vessel and a rescue helicopter has turned up no sign of the man.

Const. Gary O’Brien says there’s nothing to indicate that anything criminal is involved and it’s presumed the man fell into the water and drowned.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.