Friends are identifying the the man who drowned in a West Vancouver lake Sunday as Mihir Shah, a 29-year-old accountant from India who’d been living in Burnaby for the last two years.
His family is now working to repatriate his body home.
BC Emergency Health Services were called to the small lake on Black Mountain inside Cypress Provincial Park around 6:30 p.m. Sunday after a man who’d been swimming with his fiancée slipped under the water.
“There were several independent witnesses who saw the young man in distress and observed his companion attempting to assist him,” said Sgt. Chris Bigland, West Vancouver police spokesperson. “They did the best they could with how this unfolded. I get the impression that it happened pretty quickly.”
Bigland said they do not know whether Shah was a strong swimmer or not.
Members of North Shore Rescue and West Vancouver Fire & Rescue assisted in the search until sunset. They returned with the BC RCMP Underwater Recovery Unit on Monday and recovered his body in the afternoon.
The BC Coroners Service is now tasked with investigating the death.
“The West Vancouver Police Department offer our deepest condolences to the family and thanks the members of the public who assisted on scene,” a statement from police read. “Anyone who is struggling with what they witnessed is encouraged to reach out to victim services at 604-925-7468.”
Bigland said the case is a sad reminder of the risk that is always present when people go swimming.
“With the best of intentions, things can get very dangerous very quickly. We just ask people to have a plan, be prepared, and just be mindful of your safety, because we want everybody to be able to enjoy the parks, including the bodies of water, here in West Vancouver,” he said.
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