Officials are urging swimmers and boaters to use caution after crews recovered the bodies of two swimmers who drowned in Harrison Lake Monday.

Mounties responded to reports of a possible drowning at about 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Three people were in distress in the lake, located about 150 kilometres east of Vancouver.

“Bystanders were able to pull one of the people out of the water. The other two, unfortunately, went below the surface," Staff Sgt. Stephen Vrolyk told CTV News.

Police said the other two, a 16-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man, were last seen about 20 metres from shore.

Members of the RCMP’s rescue team and Kent Harrison Search and Rescue tried to locate and rescue the pair on Sunday, but were unsuccessful.

The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team located their bodies Monday morning.

“My understanding is they were not really strong swimmers,” Vrolyk said. “I don't know how much of a factor that played in this.”

The temperature of the water could have also played a part in the drownings, according to Steve Paterson, who has worked on the glacier-fed lake for decades.

“When you're hanging your feet down and swimming lower it gets much colder. (It) never really warms up,” he said.

“Cold shock will set in within minutes and, depending on your ability to adapt to that environment, can be quicker.”

Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Leo Facio extended his condolences to the families of the two victims and urged people to use caution in the area.

“You feel heartbroken for the families,” he said. “It’s unfortunate but people have to be aware of their surrounding when they arrive.”

Facio, however, said he doesn’t believe swimmers and boaters would pay much attention to signs warning that the lake is fed by glacial water and can be dangerously cold.

“There's literature out there. You're asking me whether another 10, 15 or 20 signs would make a difference? I don't know, I don't think it would make a difference,” he said.

The area currently has two warning signs up, but Facio said that if a coroner’s report suggests it, more could be installed.

In the meantime, police are urging people to respect the dangers present in all lakes.

“I don't think this lake is any more dangerous than any other,” Vrolyk said. “In general, people need to respect bodies of water.”

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Penny Daflos