A man in his 30s has died after a tragic incident on Capilano River this afternoon. Four friends were fishing near Cable Pool when one of the men tried to cross the river.
When the man lost his footing, one of his friends went in after him but was unable to reach him before the man was swept out of view.
The second friend was able to cling to a rock until he was rescued. Frontline officers and members of West Vancouver Fire And Rescue Services and District of North Vancouver Fire And Rescue Services located the man downstream a short while later.
He was extracted from the water in medical distress and was brought to St. Paul's hospital in critical condition. Sadly, he later died from his injuries. BC Coroner's Service now has conduct of the investigation, in partnership with the RCMP.
"It's just such a heartbreaking thing," said Sgt. Peter DeVries of the North Vancouver RCMP. "It was a beautiful sunny day today. The salmon are running. It was a perfect day to spend on the river with your fishing buddies. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
Firefighters and police in North Vancouver are urging people who spend time on the Capilano River to use life jackets, after a tragic fishing accident claimed the life of a man over the weekend.
North Vancouver's rivers can be dangerous, noted Sgt. DeVries. They are subject to significant fluctuations in flow rate due to regular local weather events such as a heavy rain or a warm day.
"The beauty can be a bit disarming," he said. "Those rivers are much more powerful than they look." North Vancouver RCMP are reminding the public to always wear a lifejacket when fishing in local rivers or while boating.