2nd suspected drowning in 3 days in Chilliwack, RCMP say

The Vedder River, also known as the Chilliwack River, is seen from the Vedder Bridge in this undated photo from shutterstock.com

Chilliwack RCMP say a man in his mid-50s died while attempting to rescue a dog in the Vedder River Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. near the end of Peach Road, according to Staff Sgt. Layne Penner.

Penner told CTV News the police file on the case indicates the man went underwater while attempting to rescue his dog and didn't resurface.

The BC Coroners Service is investigating, Penner said, adding that the RCMP investigation of the incident has concluded.

Friday's sudden death is the second suspected drowning in Chilliwack in three days. On Wednesday, a young man who jumped into Cultus Lake to try to save someone he thought was drowning never resurfaced, according to Mounties. 

The RCMP underwater recovery team was called in, and Penner confirmed Saturday that the search for the man is ongoing.

Police are calling that incident a missing person case and a "probable drowning."

Eighty-six people in B.C. died by accidental drowning last year, according to new data released by the coroner's service that sheds light on trends in the province over the past 10 years.

The number of deaths in 2022 was higher than the ten-year average, which was 76, and represented the second-highest annual total in the past decade. In 2020, there were 87 accidental drownings.