Separate boating accidents in Frontenac County claim two lives

Two Ontario residents have died in separate Frontenac County boating incidents.

On July 27, four people were on board a 17-foot fishing boat on Brule Lake in North Frontenac Township. The boat capsized after it started taking on water, forcing the boaters to swim approximately 300 metres to shore without PFDs. Three managed to make it to land, but a 51-year-old Durham resident sank under the water and didn’t come back up.

OPP’s police, fire, and aviation divisions were unable to find the man after responding to the call at 8 p.m. call. The search was paused until the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit arrived the next day and he was found on the lakebed at 9 p.m.

“Many factors are involved in large-scale missing persons searches, including activating and coordinating resources and officers from various detachments in the region,” explained OPP Const. Joe Tereschuk, adding that these kinds of searches follow a methodical process.

On July 30, a 45-year-old Kawartha Lakes resident died after their kayak was hit by another boat on Little Cranberry Lake in a separate incident. They sustained critical injuries, and OPP attempts to resuscitate them were unsuccessful. The OPP was unable to provide more information about the collision, citing the active investigation.

No foul play is suspected in either boating accident, however, OPP are still investigating why they happened. The identities of the victims and other people involved have not been released.