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OPP investigate drowning on Lake Simcoe (update: deceased identified)

Police responded to call for two people in distress in Ramara; One person was rescued and taken to local hospital
20220526 OPP cruiser
OPP file photo

Update:

Police have identified the deceased as Tony Chan, 54, of Mississauga.

Original release:

NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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Members of the Orillia Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating a personal watercraft-related drowning on Lake Simcoe in Ramara Township.

On Aug. 18, 2022, at approximately 3:50 p.m., Orillia OPP uniform officers and members of the Marine Unit, along with Ramara Fire and Rescue, Orillia Fire Department and County of Simcoe Paramedic Services, responded to two people in distress in the water, who fell off a personal watercraft in Lake Simcoe near Bonnie Beach in Ramara Township. Neither person was wearing a life-jacket.

One person was rescued from the water by members of the public. With the assistance of the OPP Helicopter, the second person was located submerged in the water, retrieved by Ramara Fire and transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced deceased.

The identification of the deceased will be withheld to allow for family notification.

The OPP is committed to boater education, marine patrol/law enforcement and saving lives on more than 110,000 square kilometres of Ontario waterways. With capsized vessels and falling overboard the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year, a significant number of lives stand to be saved if boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers wore a life-jacket or personal flotation device (PFD).  

For more information on boating safety, please familiarize yourself with Transport Canada's Safe Boating Guide.

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