A Burnaby man is presumed dead after he disappeared while swimming in the Fraser River early Saturday morning.
Surrey RCMP were called to Brownsville Bar Park at 11931 Old Yale Rd. around 2:50 a.m. on June 4. A group of men told police they had gathered at the park for a bonfire and were drinking alcohol when they decided “to jump into the cold swift moving waters of the Fraser River,” noted a press release from Surrey RCMP.
The intention was to swim around the SkyTrain bridge’s pillar and back to shore, but one of the men, a 32-year-old Burnaby resident, did not resurface after he was seen in the water, the release added.
The group tried to find their friend but was unsuccessful, so they called police. The RCMP along with Search and Rescue and the Coast Guard searched the waters but after several hours, “the tough decision was made to call off the search,” according to the release.
The man’s body was still missing on Monday, said Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann, spokesperson for the department.
Schumann could not reveal the name of the Burnaby swimmer, noting it’s now up to the B.C. Coroners Service to release any further information, including identity.
Foul play is not suspected.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
Calls to the B.C. Coroners Service have not been returned.
