A grid search is underway on the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., after a man fell in the water while boating with a friend.
Mounties were notified of the accident, off Triangle Road, just before noon Sunday. A preliminary sweep of the area by Coast Guard divers, aided by local boaters, was unsuccessful.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Ramey said the victim, a 34-year-old visiting from Alberta, is presumed drowned.
"They were out enjoying a sunny day on the water," he said. "We're not sure how he fell in or if he was wearing a life jacket."
Ramey said there is some indication the man was injured when he fell from the 14 foot fiberglass boat.
Mounties say it is too early to say if alcohol is a factor in the accident. Members of the Richmond RCMP could be seen picking up beer cans from the shoreline close to where the boat was parked.
Coast Guard divers are conducting a grid search of the area downstream from where the man was last seen, but their efforts may be hampered by changing tides.
"The tide was going out," Ramey said. "We've gone through a slack and now it's coming in."
