With summer officially here, the BC Coroners Service is urging residents and visitors to take extra care when they are near rivers, lakes or the ocean.
The Service is already investigating five drowning incidents that happened this month in B.C. waterways.
Data from 2016 shows there were a total of 47 accidental drownings, the lowest number in the past decade, down from 80 in 2015.
The Service says people need to understand the dangers that may lurk in or near B.C.’s lakes and rivers.
Those include sudden drop-offs into deep water, unexpected cold water temperatures, underwater obstacles, and unstable or slippery rock edges above cliffs and waterfalls.
