July 06, 2013 - 1:28 AM
VANCOUVER - The BC Coroners Service and Vancouver police are warning people to use extra caution around lakes, rivers, pools and seashores following the deaths of four people over the past five days.
Dead are a three-year-old boy following an accident in a swimming pool, a teenager who slipped while playing at the top of a waterfall, a middle-aged man who was tubing on a river and another man who died while swimming in an Interior lake.
The coroners' service says many victims are unfamiliar with conditions around water and as a result don't know or underestimate the risks.
Such risks can include unexpected currents, steep and sudden drop offs, or unusually high water levels because of heavy rains or late spring run-off.
Vancouver police are also warning people about high flows on the North Fraser River because of warm weather and snowmelt and are asking people to wear personal flotation devices and use extreme caution.
Police add that people should also not boat or swim while impaired.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013