Body of drowned man discovered in Chestermere Lake

Time for lifeguards at public beaches? After a man presumably drowned Monday, questions surround whether it’s time to have lifeguards at public beaches. Tyson Fedor reports.

CALGARY — The body of a man who went missing at Chestermere Lake on Monday afternoon was recovered Tuesday night.

At 8:41 p.m., Chestermere RCMP, with the help of the Central Alberta Rescue Diving Society, recovered the body of the missing 47-yearold Calgarian.

His body was taken to the medical examiner's office.

Members of the deceased's family were notified and victim services engaged.

Earlier Tuesday, RCMP zodiac boats could be seen on the lake as part of the search for a 47-year-old Calgary man who was paddle boarding when he went into the the water.

Officers completed a search of the shoreline and members of the fire department did a surface search. Chestermere Lake is relatively shallow, said Stubbs, meaning there are lots of weeds.

"Our belief is the person, wherever they were last seen, which was pinpointed by witnesses, is probably entangled by weeds in that area. And because they are entangled, we aren't able to see them from the surface," he said.

Two men were spotted in distress in the water around 3 p.m. Monday near the beach at Anniversary Park. One managed to get out, however the other went under and has not been seen since.

Officials say neither of the men were wearing life jackets at the time. It is mandatory to have a life jacket with you while on a paddle board said Stubbs, adding police prefer that they be worn.

One witness who spoke to CTV News said she saw a man in the water struggling to hang on to a paddle board when another man went in to try and save him. She says the second man was also struggling to swim, but was eventually able to return to shore on his own.

The second man was taken to hospital by EMS as a precaution in stable, non-life threatening condition.

RCMP are with the family of the missing man. They aren't releasing his identity at this time.

The beach at Anniversary Park is closed while the search continues.