A 41 year-old man from Oliver is missing in Osoyoos Lake and presumed drowned after he went under trying to rescue his dog.
On July 25, at 8:30 p.m., the Osoyoos RCMP responded to a 911 call of a man who had gone under the water in Osoyoos Lake near White Sands and failed to resurface.
The missing man and his friend were stationary in the middle of Osoyoos Lake in the missing man’s surf boat while the man was playing fetch with his dogs.
It appears one of the dogs became distressed and the man swam out to help it, said Osoyoos RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda. The man and dog became separated from the boat due to the wind and the friend witnessed the dog climb on the man’s back, weighing him down.
Police, civilians and friends of the missing man searched until after dark. Police, with the assistance of Osoyoos Fire Rescue continued the search for several hours on July 26. Sadly the man has not yet been located and this has now become a recovery mission.
The RCMP underwater recovery team is being mobilized and plan to arrive to Osoyoos early next week.
Tragically it appears the man lost his life, saving his dog, said Bayda.
“The Osoyoos RCMP would like to express their deepest condolences to the missing man’s family and friends during this most difficult time.”
