North Shore officials warn public over water safety after man drowns at Rice Lake

A 26-year-old man drowned at Rice Lake in North Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday, in what North Vancouver RCMP have called the third water-related incident in the past three weeks. 

Emergency personnel received the call around 3:30 p.m. and firefighters arrived the the scene to find two men attempting to revive the man on a rock in the middle of the lake, about 70 to 100 metres from the shore. 

District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Assistant Chief Dwayne Derban said two firefighters swam the man back to shore. 

Joined by ambulance crews, they attempted to revive the man for about an hour before he was declared dead.  

"Our sincere condolences go out to the family," said Derban. "It's just a tragedy." 

Derban said one of the people reviving the man was his friend, and one was a bystander who jumped in to help. 

He said witnesses reported the man, who was from Burnaby, B.C., was underwater for about two minutes. 

There was no easy access in or out of the lake where the men were located, according to Derban. 

"Where they went in was forested, a bit of a sharp transition into the lake," said Derban, who added that the water would have been very cold. 

Police said officers arrived on scene after they were notified by fire personnel and spoke with witnesses.

"The person wasn't a strong swimmer and was struggling," North Vancouver RCMP Const. Mansoor Sahak said.

Derban warns that people who are not strong swimmers should always wear a flotation device and only swim where lifeguards are on duty. 

3rd recent incident

Sahak said this is the third swimming-related incident the North Shore has seen in the last three weeks.

In May, a man drowned in a West Vancouver creek after attempting to rescue a dog, and Sahak said last week a young man was rescued after jumping off a bridge into water at Lynn Canyon Park. 

Sahak said those who are not comfortable swimmers should not take chances, especially in frigid water. 

"A young man lost his life. It's a preventable death and we're hoping that others learn and don't take on the same dangers," she said.