11-year-old boy drowns after falling off tube at B.C. Interior lake

An 11-year-old boy has died in B.C.’s Interior after drowning in a lake north of Cranbrook.

The Kimberly RCMP detachment said the boy drowned after an inflatable tube flipped due to high winds and rough waters at Wasa Lake.

The incident happened on Sunday.

Three children were on top of the tube when it flipped. Two of the children were able to swim to shore but the 11-year-old boy did not.

“Officers, with the assistance of a local resident, utilized a boat to search the lake and within minutes observed the child underneath the water,” Sgt. Steven Woodcox said.

“An officer jumped into the lake and brought the boy onto the boat where CPR was initiated.”

The boy was brought to shore and was given to BC Emergency Health Services.

He was taken to East Kootenay Regional Hospital, where he was later declared dead.

Kimberly RCMP Victim Services are engaged with the family and supporting them.

Wasa Lake is a roughly 25-minute drive north of Cranbrook.