RCMP investigate drowning death of man tubing on Manitoba river

A map showing the location of the Waterhen River in Manitoba.

A 37-year-old man drowned while tubing on the Waterhen River last week, the Manitoba RCMP has confirmed.

Mounties said a 21-year-old woman was found walking on the shoreline of the river Thursday evening. Police said she and a 37-year-old man had gone tubing together on the river earlier that day.

While The RCMP tells CTV News it’s not precisely clear what happened, they believe the woman fell off the tube and was able to make it to shore. The man continued floating before falling into the water further downstream.

When the woman was found Thursday evening, she did not know where the man who had been tubing with her was.

“A witness reported seeing the tubes (two tubes tied together) floating in the river with no one on board,” RCMP said in a news release.

RCMP in Winnipegosis got the report of the missing man at 10:50 p.m. Thursday, prompting a search of the area and the river.

Multiple organizations joined in the search, including the Waterhen Fire Department and community safety officer, Ebb & Flow First Nation and Lake St. Martin First Nation, and Skownan First Nation's safety officer.

The body of the 37-year-old man was found the following day. RCMP confirmed the man had drowned.

RCMP and the office of the chief medical examiner continue to investigate.

This drowning comes amid several recent drowning deaths in Manitoba waterways, including three children drowning in five days across the province, and a 42-year-old man’s death from drowning in Cross Lake.