A 19 year old Keremeos man drowned while rafting on the Similkameen River on Saturday.
Image Credit: SOURCE/Flickr
July 23, 2013 - 3:42 PM
UPDATE: 3:34 p.m. July 23, 2013
KEREMEOS - The man who died in a tubing accident on the Similkameen River July 20 has been identified.
He was Derek James Woodrow, 19, from Keremeos.
Woodrow's family have been notified of his death. The B.C. Cororners Service and RCMP continue to investigate.
4:29 p.m. July 22, 2013
KEREMEOS - A warning from RCMP to take safety precautions on the lakes and rivers in B.C. after another person drowns.
A 19 year old Keremeos man was with friends floating on rafts in the Similkameen River Saturday afternoon. The young man fell off his raft and encountered difficulties in the water. The currents in the river swept him under water near a bridge.
The Keremeos Fire Department, along with the Keremeos Search and Rescue swift water technicians recovered his body.
The victim’s name has not been released.
Both the RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating.
The RCMP’s Victims Services are helping the man’s family deal with the tragedy.
“To date the 2013 summer recreational season in B.C. has seen over double the previous amount of accidental drownings,” said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. “That’s up from 20 drowning deaths in 2012.”
To contact the reporter for this story, call (250) 491-0331, or email halexander@infotelnews.ca.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013