11 people rescued from capsized pontoon boat on Okanagan Lake

All 11 people on a rented pontoon boat were rescued after it overturned in Okanagan Lake on Saturday.

“The West Kelowna RCMP are continuing the investigation into the reason why this boat overturned but it appears that passengers were on the upper deck causing the boat to be top heavy,” an RCMP news release, issued today, July 25, said.

The incident happened at about 2 p.m. in the middle of Okanagan Lake about 400 metres north of the Bennett bridge.

None of the 11 men were wearing lifejackets. The only injury was a scraped shin.

They were rescued by a “good Samaritan boater” before West Kelowna marine patrol and the Kelowna fire boat arrived on the scene.

“The Okanagan is busy this time of the year with many enjoying the lake, but this could have easily turned into a tragedy if it was not for the actions of the people who arrived to assist,” RCMP media relations officer Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release.

The boat was towed to shore and the rental company has removed it for repairs.

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