BC’s Interior Region has accounted for 30 per cent of the province’s total accidental drowning deaths in the last decade.
According to a report from the BC Coroners Service, 101 people in the province died in 2023 due to accidental drowning, 24 of whom were in BC’s Interior.
Lake Okanagan has claimed the title of BC’s deadliest lake after seeing 29 deaths between 2013 and 2023.
While the region does account for most of the deaths, the Kootenays have seen the least. According to the report, there have been 5 accidental drowning deaths in Kootenay Lake since 2013, and 5 in the Kootenay River.
The Interior has led the province in the most deaths since 2018, but this year it was knocked to second place with Vancouver Island reporting 32 deaths in 2023.
However, it still leads in most deaths over the last decade, with the report showing 258 drowning deaths have occurred since 2013.
You can find the full BC Coroners Report here.
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