Fishing Trip Turns Tragic After Boat Flips Near Powell River

An overturned boat led to the drowning of one man and a long night in the cold for his friend.

Powell River RCMP say that two friends were on a fishing trip into Powell River's backcountry on Wednesday when they didn't return as planned. Concerned friend and family notified the authorities, and a local conservation officer decided to join the search to help.

It wasn't clear which lake that the two friends had gone fishing at, but the conservation officer's extensive local knowledge of backcountry helped him to find the men's truck parked at Khartoum Lake. The officer then saw an overturned boat drifting in the lake and heard a distant voice calling for help.

Khartoum Lake. (Photo Credit: Powell River Direct)

The conservation officer thought fast, and he quickly drove to the nearby Lois Lake Fish Hatchery, where personnel dropped what they were doing to help. Together, fish hatchery staff and the conservation officer made their way back to the lake through a connecting channel.

There, they found one of the missing friends suffering from hypothermia. The 44-year-old had been able to swim to shore, but he wasn't able to hike out because of the rough terrain. Instead, he'd spent the entire night sitting on the shore. After receiving medical attention at Powell River General Hospital, the man was soon released.

The man's friend, however, wasn't a strong swimmer and had drowned in the frigid water. After a two-day search, the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team retrieved the man's body. This man was also 44 years old, but out of respect for the family, the men's names have not been released.

Police thank the West Coast Fish Culture, Powell River Search and Rescue, and of course Powell River Conservation, who they say “went above and beyond” to save one of the men's lives.