Body of missing young Surrey man recovered from Cultus Lake

Nearly a month after a young man from Surrey presumably drowned in Chilliwack’s Cultus Lake, his body has been recovered from the water.

Mounties said the man, who jumped into the water and never resurfaced on July 19, was found mid-day Tuesday by the RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team.

The RCMP did not name the man, but the details of the case match those of 23-year-old Ajay Singh, who family and friends identified as the person who went missing at Cultus Lake that day.

Ritik Bagri, Singh’s friend, previously told CTV News that the young man was on a tube with two women when he disappeared in the water.

He said a bystander dove into the water to save Singh, but couldn’t find him.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to this man’s family and friends,” said Sgt. Krista Vrolyk, spokesperson for the Chilliwack RCMP, in a news release issued Tuesday.

“We are so sorry for your loss.”

Vrolyk said police have seen a number of drownings in the area this summer, and urged caution. Two days after Singh’s suspected drowning, a man in his mid-50s died while attempting to rescue a dog in Chilliwack’s Vedder River.

According to the Lifesaving Society of BC and Yukon, 25 people have drowned in the region so far this year.

“These deaths are devastating to family and friends, but also take (a) toll on emergency personnel,” Vrolyk wrote.

Mounties urge water-goers to wear a life-jacket, to not enter the water if you don’t know how to swim, to never swim alone and to not go swimming if you are impaired by alcohol or drugs.