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Eleven-year-old boy drowns after inflated tube flips in B.C. lake

KIMBERLEY, B.C. — RCMP say an 11-year-old boy has drowned in Wasa Lake, north of Cranbrook in southeastern B.C. Police say the boy was out with two other children on Sunday on an inflated tube when it flipped in high winds and rough water.
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RCMP say an 11-year-old boy has drowned in Wasa Lake, north of Cranbrook in southeastern B.C. The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

KIMBERLEY, B.C. — RCMP say an 11-year-old boy has drowned in Wasa Lake, north of Cranbrook in southeastern B.C.

Police say the boy was out with two other children on Sunday on an inflated tube when it flipped in high winds and rough water.

They say the boy wasn't able to make it back to shore.

Officers, with the help of a local resident, used a boat to search the lake and within a few minutes spotted the boy under the water.

An officer jumped in to pull the boy to the surface and they immediately began resuscitation, but the boy was later declared dead at a nearby hospital.

Kimberley RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Steven Woodcox says he wants to thank the public for their help in the rescue and heroic efforts of his officers and other first responders who tried to help.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press