Drowning at Caddy Lake third in Whiteshell region this year

A 23-year-old Winnipeg man died in Caddy Lake Thursday afternoon, marking the third drowning in Manitoba’s Whiteshell region this year.

Police responded at 1:22 p.m., after receiving reports that two men had entered the water, but only one resurfaced. The Whiteshell fire department and emergency medical services also responded.

The man, whose identity is not known, was found under the water and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Harpreet Kaur Girn, 38, died in the Whiteshell Provincial Park on May 31. Police said she was walking on the rocks at Sturgeon Falls, near Nutimik Lake, when she slipped and fell into fast-moving water.

A Manitoba Conservation Service officer pulled her from the lake and she was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, RCMP said at the time.

Girn was later identified as a mother of two in a GoFundMe fundraiser started by friends.

A similar fundraiser was launched this week in support of Devkarn Singh, who was identified publicly for the first time as the 20-year-old man who died at the Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park on May 4.

“Devkarn was a bright light in our lives — known for his kind soul, his laughter, and the deep love he carried for his family, friends, and community,” reads the fundraiser, launched by Sikh community group Misl Winnipeg.

“In this time of unimaginable loss, we are coming together to support his parents, who are now grieving the loss of their only son… Devkarn touched so many lives in his short time here. If you had the privilege of knowing him, you knew the joy he carried and the love he spread.”

Police reported that Singh was on top of a small waterfall at the dam when he slipped on wet rocks and fell in the water. Police and firefighters searched the water and shoreline, but the man’s body was not recovered until the following day.

The fundraiser seeks to raise money to cover funeral expenses, time away from work and other costs for Singh’s parents, it said.

The Free Press has reached out to Misl Winnipeg for further comment.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca