The Victoria Police Department (VicPD) responded to a tragic incident early this morning after receiving reports of a man falling from a bridge in Victoria.
Multiple officers attended the scene at Johnson Stewart Bridge after numerous 911 calls saying that an intoxicated man was seen losing his balance after climbing on a railing and falling into the water below.
Police say that several people attempted to direct the man to swim to safety. According to the police, officers were at the scene within two minutes of the call and attempted to assist the man, but were unsuccessful.
One officer even suffered minor injuries while trying to save him.
The police department called the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for assistance, as they do not have a marine response capability. A Canadian Coast Guard boat was dispatched and recovered the man's body with assistance of VicPD officers.
The new pedestrian-only bridge opened to public at the end of August.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
