B.C. government urges caution as drowning deaths see 54-per-cent spike from last year

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has issued a notice warning people to be vigilant about water safety after a spike in drowning deaths in the last few months.

The province says in a statement that there have been 40 accidental drownings in B.C. from May 1 to July 16, a 54 per cent increase from the 26 deaths reported during the same period last year.

The latest happened Saturday when a 67-year-old man drowned while trying to swim across Okanagan Lake as part of an event, with another participant finding the victim unresponsive in the water two hours after the swim started.

There have been at least two more drowning fatalities at Okanagan Lake since mid-June, including a man thrown from an inflatable tube being towed by a boat and a U.S. kayaker whose vessel capsized due to windy conditions.