A man drowned at Opheim Lake off Jacobson Road east of Williams Lake on Sunday afternoon.
"A fellow who lives near the Big Lake Ranch put his boat in the water and went fishing," said Barb McLintock of the BC Coroners Service Monday. "Another fellow who lives nearby was also out fishing, and when he was returning he realized the first man appeared to have fallen out of the boat."
The second man tried to help, but the drowned man could not be resuscitated, McLintock said.
Williams Lake RCMP Staff Sgt. Del Byron said the RCMP received a call about the drowning at 4:23 p.m. Sunday afternoon and arrived to assist Big Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue retrieve the man and his boat from the lake.
"We took two boats out to retrieve the man and his boat," said Big Lake Volunteer Fire Rescue fire chief Joel Bruneski. "I didn't know the man personally and I don't think any of our guys did."
Bruneski described Opheim Lake as a small lake in Beaver Valley and said there were other people fishing there on Sunday.
Watch for more on this as details become available.