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Drowning deaths up in B.C.

The long hot summer days of July have seen in a spike in the number of drowning deaths around B.C.
Tom Fletcher
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A 25-foot boat drifted onto a rock barrier on the Lower Fraser River Sunday. Four adults and two children returning from watching the Celebration of Lights fireworks show were picked up by Richmond RCMP.

The long hot summer days of July have seen in a spike in the number of drowning deaths around B.C.

There have been 43 drowning deaths so far in 2013, up from 25 in the same period as 2012, BC Stats reported Monday.

An analysis by the B.C. Coroners Service found that from 2008 to 2012, half of all drowning victims were involved in recreational activities, and nearly 60 per cent happened between May and August.

The B.C. Interior had the largest proportion of drowning deaths, 35.5 per cent, followed by Vancouver Island with 24.4 per cent.

Five per cent of drownings occurred on the job, while the rest were for situations such as vehicle accidents, falls into water and deaths in bathtubs. The likeliest age groups are 20 to 29 (20.9 per cent of deaths) and 50 to 59 (19.7 per cent).