U.S. citizen drowns in kayaking accident on Okanagan Lake
Okanagan Lake drowning: kayaker dies after sudden winds capsize kayak near Westbank Police say neither kayaker wore a life jacket—see what happened and the safety warning
A U.S. citizen drowned in Okanagan Lake on Friday evening after two kayakers capsized near Westbank First Nation Beach when winds suddenly picked up, West Kelowna RCMP said.
Police said the call came in around 7:13 p.m. on June 19. Both people tried to swim to shore, but one of the kayakers went under and did not come back up.
Officers used a nearby boat to start searching, and West Kelowna RCMP, Peachland Fire Rescue and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue later joined the effort. The missing kayaker was found and recovered after several hours, but was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said neither person was wearing a life jacket, and the victim’s name has not been released.