Six die during tragic Victoria Day long weekend

CTV Toronto
Tue. May. 23 2006 9:46 AM ET
Emergency workers at Rice Lake, Ont.
Six die during tragic Victoria Day long weekend
CTV.ca News Staff

Tragedy marred the season's first long weekend as six people died in
boating and swimming accidents in Ontario waters during cold and
blustery conditions.

Three middle-aged residents from Richmond Hill and Stouffville died
Sunday after the 18-foot boat they were in capsized.

Albert Chow, 51, Duylunong Diep, 54, and Holland Chow, 54, were among
seven passengers aboard the pleasure craft that was flooded with high
waves on Rice Lake, about 150 kilometres northeast of Toronto.

Two men and two women, ranging in age from 17 to 59 years, managed to
swim safely back to shore through the choppy waters.

Ontario Provincial Police said those who died weren't wearing
life-jackets when they plunged into the icy water, and those who
survived were.

The unseasonably cool and wintery Victoria Day long weekend weather
contributed to the death of a 27-year-old man.

Police said he drowned in cold, rough water in Lake Simcoe, north of
Toronto, when he tried to swim from McCrae Provincial Park to nearby
Strawberry Island.

A Picton man believed to be about 25 years old drowned while canoeing
on Wolf Lake northeast of Peterborough after his vessel overturned.

Also, a 70-year-old man drowned near Sault Ste. Marie.

Meanwhile, a Pickering man is missing after his sailboat was found in
Lake Ontario near Rochester, New York.

The unidentified man left Pickering on Saturday in an eight-metre craft
bound for Newcastle, but he never arrived at his destination.

Three teens nearly died Saturday when strong winds blew their
paddleboat into the middle of Lake Couchiching, near Orillia, and waves
began deluging their vessel.

The teens, who were not wearing life-jackets, were rescued when one of
them used a cellphone to call 911.