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file photo of hayward lake in mission.
peter battistoni
/
vancouver sun
a man drowned while paddleboarding at hayward lake in mission on thursday.
mission rcmp say first responders were called at about 6 p.m.
the 58-year-old man from mission had been out paddleboarding in the area of the dog beach, where it’s believed he lost his balance and fell into the water.
police say he wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device, and reportedly had limited swimming abilities.
the man’s wife — who had remained on shore — began yelling for help, said an rcmp news release on friday.
a passerby heard the distress cries and then used the man’s paddleboard to search the area.
mounties say he spotted the victim underwater, grabbed hold of him and brought him back to the shore, where he performed cpr.
lifeguards who had been stationed on the main swimming beach — nearly half a kilometre away — were in the process of leaving the area when alerted. they rushed to the dog beach and continued cpr until other first responders arrived.
the area where the man drowned wasn’t a part of the lake supervised by lifeguards, rcmp said.
authorities are urging anyone venturing out on the water this summer to wear a life-jacket.
“unexpected factors such as hitting your head, cold water shock, undercurrents or a collision with a watercraft can all have an immediate impact on your ability to keep yourself above the water, and a simple personal flotation device could mean the difference between a fun day on the water and a sad and tragic outcome,” rcmp said.
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