A 22-year old man was found dead on a forestry road near Koksilah River Provincial Park at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday morning.
A spokesman for the Shawnigan Lake RCMP detachment said the man was dropped off to explore a cave near the park at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and when he had not returned by the designated time of 8:30 p.m., the RCMP and Cowichan Search and Rescue were called and efforts to locate the man were launched.
Rescue operations were called off at 1 p.m. and resumed early Thursday morning.
The RCMP spokesman said the cause of death is under investigation, and more details will be released as the investigation continues.