26-year-old man dead after apparent drowning at Caddy Lake

Sunset at Caddy Lake. Photo by Tom Hrechkosy.

A Winnipeg man is dead after police said he disappeared under the water in a Manitoba lake over the weekend.

Police said the incident happened on Saturday at Caddy Lake. The 26-year-old man jumped off a dock to go for a swim. Officials said he swam a short distance and began to struggle.

Police said he went under the water and didn’t resurface.

Emergency crews were called to the area around 3:30 a.m. They performed CPR on the man on scene and on the way to a local hospital.

He was pronounced dead later that morning. An autopsy is scheduled to confirm the cause of death. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor.

An investigation is ongoing.

This comes after a string of drownings in Manitoba this summer. Most recently, 22-year-old Jean-Baptiste Ajua drowned at Birds Hill Provincial Park, Saturday.

Two kids also drowned at Grand Beach earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Lifesaving Society of Manitoba said it will call on the province to hold an inquest into drowning deaths on Manitoba beaches. Carl Shier said that while Manitoba is not close to a record number of drownings, it would be a good opportunity to review current safety practices.