River victim's mother pleads for water safety

The mother of a 25-year-old man who apparently drowned in the Elbow River is asking river users to wear a life-jacket.

On Tuesday afternoon, rafters spotted the man's body near Sandy Beach and called Calgary police.

Investigators are treating the death as suspicious until they receive results of an autopsy.

"Please ask rafters, swimmers and people who use the rivers to be careful and wear a life-jacket when they're on the water," the mother told CBC News. She requested that her son's name be withheld.

"My son was a great swimmer — he swam like a fish. I don't understand what happened. I guess it was just his time that he was called home."

On Wednesday, firefighters resumed a search of the Bow River for another man who had apparently jumped into the water near 10th Street and Memorial Drive S.W. the night before.

Three rescue boats and 30 firefighters searched the river for the 22-year-old for more than two hours before calling it off because of darkness at 10:30 p.m., officials said.