RCMP and other emergency crews are searching the coast of Nanaimo for a man who presumably drowned after falling from a sailboat yesterday.
At approximately 8:40 p.m. on Monday, April 11th, Nanaimo RCMP received a call of a woman falling off a sailboat into the water near Commercial Bay, off Newcastle Island.
Information was then received of a man who had also fallen into the water.
RCMP officers were brought to their location by the Nanaimo Port Authority Vessel and found an extremely hypothermic and intoxicated woman clinging to a rope tied to an anchored sailboat.
The woman was lifted onto the Port Authority vessel, then transported to a waiting ambulance where she was taken to hospital to receive emergency medical treatment.
The man, who was reported to have also fallen into the water, is believed to be her 59-year-old partner whom she resided with on the sailboat.
After a search of their vessel, shoreline and ping of his cell phone, the Canadian Coast guard hovercraft and Search and Rescue helicopter, along with the Port Authority vessel and ground crews conducted an extensive search of the waters and shoreline.
The man was not found and the search continued this morning.
Two RCMP Marine Section vessels and the RCMP dive team scoured the waters off the shoreline of Nanaimo today.
“There is nothing to indicate at this time that criminality is involved and investigators are working on the premise that the missing man fell into the water and presumably drowned,” said Constable Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
The last known clothing the man was said to be wearing was a blue and black shirt, blue jeans and either runners or flip-flops.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP at (250) 754-2345.
