As we head out for another season of fun in & on waterways across the province, the BC Coroners Service and Lifesaving Society are reminding you to be water smart.
101 drowning deaths in 2023; BC Coroners Service
By Lisa Best
Sadly, Greater Victoria has already entered the summer season on a sombre note.
A 17-year-old boy was pulled from Langford Lake on Saturday, June 15. Bystanders administered CPR for 28 minutes. The teen died in hospital four days later.
The BC Coroners Service says 101 people died by accidental drowning in BC in 2023
Drownings were most common during the summer months: 18 deaths in July last year.
Most deaths occurred in rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds. Nearly one in five occurred while the person was boating.
That same figure was reported for falls into water and while swimming.
Between 2013 and 2022, alcohol and/or drugs were found to be a contributing factor in 39% of accidental drowning deaths.
Males accounted for four in five accidental drowning deaths, those aged 19 to 29 accounted for 20 per cent.