Ivor Lundin was a longtime employee of Tolko Industries in Kelowna before he died Monday, Jan. 30, 2017.

Image Credit: Facebook

KELOWNA - Condolences have started pouring in on social media for the Kelowna man who died while operating a tugboat near the Tolko Industries mill on Okanagan Lake in Kelowna last night.

Ivor Lundin, a Tolko employee for more than 15 years, had been working on a company boat shortly before 9:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 30 when coworkers called 911.

RCMP, the B.C. Coroners Service and WorkSafe B.C. are investigating the mysterious sinking, according to a RCMP media release. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue used another Tolko vessel to drop an underwater camera into the lake and confirmed the operator was still inside the boat.

Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey says just before noon today, Jan. 31, the body was recovered from the sunken vessel.

"RCMP continue to work closely with the B.C. Coroners Service and WorkSafe BC, as they attempt to determine what factors may have led to this tragic incident," O'Donaghey says in the release.

He says investigators are interviewing witnesses and beginning "the planning process for recovering the sunken vessel for examination," adding no further information will be released at this time.

The scene remains secured by the police.

Trish Knight Chernecki with WorkSafe B.C. say prevention officers have been on the scene since last night.

“We’ve been given permission by the RCMP to start our investigation, and so we’re on site. That's all I can say at this point," she says.

Ivor Lundin has been identified on social media as the man who died while operating a tugboat for Tolko Industries on Okanagan Lake near Manhattan Point in Kelowna Monday night, Jan. 31, 2017.

Image Credit: Facebook

RCMP, the B.C. Coroners Service and WorkSafe B.C. are investigating the sinking of a tugboat at the Tolko Industries mill in Kelowna. The dive team is pictured at the mill the day after the sinking on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

— This story was updated at 12:05 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 to add comment from WorkSafe B.C. and at 1:46 p.m. to include the identity of the victim.

— This story was updated at 3:47 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 with new information from RCMP to say the body had been recovered.

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