‘Beyond tragic': Man drowns at Grand Beach
The manager of protective services for the Rural Municipality of St. Clements called the death 'beyond tragic.'
Tyler Freeman said rescuers discovered the individual, who is believed to be in his 30s, at 1 a.m. Sunday.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
A man drowned at Grand Beach on Saturday.
'We were trying to comb the waters last night with a big massive grid search. That was basically the response for five hours,' Freeman told the Free Press.
The emergency co-ordinator said authorities were alerted around 8 p.m. about a man who was in distress in the water.
The individual was on a floatie outside the buoy line marking a designated swim zone and had drifted out too far, said Freeman, who oversees three fire departments in the region.
The RM dispatched its entire emergency response department, including two search vessels.
Manitoba RCMP confirmed its Selkirk detachment also responded to the reported drowning.
Weekday Mornings
A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.
RCMP is expected to release more information later today.
Freeman said the situation is a tragic reminder of just how dangerous the water can be.
'Ultimately, it's just a very, very sad thing,' Freeman said, adding his thoughts are with the man's loved ones and with first responders who were on the scene.
The man was at the beach, a popular long-weekend destination, with a group of roughly 10 people, he said.
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter
Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.
Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.
Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
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