An early morning paddle on Shuswap Lake turned deadly Sunday, as a 22-year-old Kelowna man drowned after the canoe overturned.
Joe Neale drowned in the lake after the canoe he was riding in tipped over, dumping him and two other men into the water.
Salmon Arm RCMP were called to the 4500 block of Rea Road in Eagle Bay at 5:24 a.m.with the report of the overturned canoe.
Two of the three men on board were able to swim to shore, but Neale disappeared in the water before reaching shore.
“Police believe alcohol and a lack of proper boating safety equipment are factors that contributed to this tragic incident,” says Staff. Sgt. Kevin Keane, head of the Salmon Arm detachment.
The RCMP underwater diving team recovered Neale’s body later that day.
