OTTAWA -- The Canadian military is investigating after a master sailor from Manitoba is believed to have accidentally fallen overboard.
A news release says Duane Earle, of Winnipeg, went missing while deployed on HMCS Winnipeg.
It says Earle is believed to have accidentally fallen overboard while the ship was west of San Francisco en route back to Esquimalt, B.C., after being deployed to the Asia-Pacific region.
It says the master sailor was not identified as missing until later Monday at which point the ship was turned back along its route and a search started.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in California, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Coast Guard are helping in the search.
The release says Earle's family has been notified.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2020.
