Fatal drowning in Kawartha region

Life jackets or Personal Flotation Devices: PFDs

An 81-year-old man was found dead in a river at the Kawartha Highlands Signature Park on Friday after reportedly drifting in a tube and going missing.

Officers from the OPP's Peterborough County detachment were dispatched to the park at around 2 p.m. to assist EMS and fire services with a possible drowning incident.

Police say witnesses reported that two friends were drifting in their tube, and one of them had gone missing. The first person reportedly got off their tube in chest-high water and was not wearing a life jacket. The second person reportedly got off their tube closer to shore but lost sight of the first person. They eventually located the first person's tube but not the first person.

Police say the first person was located face down in the water shortly after the park wardens were notified.

An 81-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The OPP is reminding all boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers to wear lifejackets and personal floatation devices.