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Angler’s body found

68-year-old said he was going fishing at Fry Lake, located west of Campbell River

An overdue angler was found dead Tuesday morning on the beach at Lower Campbell Lake.

The 68-year-old said he was going fishing at Fry Lake, located west of Campbell River, and was reported overdue late Monday night.

Campbell River Search and Rescue was called out to search the area which proved difficult due to darkness and other water hazards such as deadheads and partially submerged trees.

Around 8:30 a.m. the next day, the man’s boat was spotted on Lower Campbell Lake and the deceased was found nearby. The man’s name was not released and cause of death is being investigated by the coroner’s service.

The search was the third call for search and rescue volunteers within 48 hours. In the early morning hours Sunday, team members travelled to Port Alice to look for two brothers, men in their 60s, who had gone beachcombing in a remote location and had not returned.

Turns out that one of the two had fallen and they spent the night camping on the beach. The two were airlifted to safety by a military rescue helicopter later that morning.

Later on Monday, the volunteers were out again assisting Comox Valley Search and Rescue look for a missing person, and that night they were called to Fry Lake.

“We find our resources getting stretched thin after a few days…people get burned out and need rest,” said search manager Grant Cromer in a news release. “We are constantly having to cycle new members in from our group as well as mutual aid from other island search and rescue groups.”