Two drown, third man critical, in separate water-related weekend accidents

VANCOUVER – A run of hot weather across British Columbia may be partly to blame for a spike in drownings in the province this summer, but the past weekend was especially deadly.

Two men drowned in separate incidents on Saturday and a third man remains in critical condition in hospital after being pulled unconscious from a Metro Vancouver lake on Sunday.

In the latest occurrence, a 24-year-old man needed CPR on the beach after being rescued from Sasamat Lake in Port Moody on Sunday afternoon.

Port Moody deputy fire chief Gord Parker says his crews always see more waterside rescues and other outdoor accidents as residents try to escape soaring temperatures by spending the day at the beach.

One Saturday, a 19-year-old man drowned in the Similkameen River in the south Okanagan after falling from his raft and being swept away by strong currents.

A second man died Saturday in Thetis Lake, about 10 kilometres northwest of Victoria, pushing the number of drownings in B.C., past 40, more than double the total recorded in the same period last year. (The Canadian Press, CKNW)

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