International student drowns while swimming in Thetis Lake

A swimmer drowned in Thetis Lake Friday afternoon, according to West Shore RCMP.
Mounties said they were called to the lake in View Royal around 3:40 p.m. for a report of a drowning.
"Police learned a male was swimming and was seen by witnesses going underwater and did not resurface," a statement from West Shore RCMP reads.
"View Royal Fire Department also attended and recovered the body of a male from the water."
The fire department confirmed that the deceased was an international student, and that his friends were present when he disappeared below the surface.
Firefighters said they believe the student was unfamiliar with the terrain and lacked safety equipment.
The BC Coroners Service has been called and is also investigating, police said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
Fatal stabbing of German tourist by suspected radical puts sharp focus on Paris Olympics
A bloodstain by a bridge over the Seine river was the only remaining sign on Sunday of a fatal knife attack 12 hours earlier on a German tourist, allegedly carried out by a young man under watch for suspected Islamic radicalization.
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey.
Rare Maud Lewis paintings up for auction online, valued at $35,000
Three rare Maud Lewis paintings are up for auction online today, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars each.
Israel orders more people in crowded southern Gaza to evacuate as heavy bombardment shifts there
Israel's military ordered more areas in and around Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis to evacuate on Sunday, followed by heavy bombardment, as it shifted its offensive to the southern half of the territory where it asserts that leaders of the Hamas militant group are hiding.
1 person is dead and 11 missing after a landslide and flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra island
Rescuers recovered the body of a man buried under tons of mud and rocks from flash floods and a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia's Sumatra island. Officials said Sunday that 11 people are still missing.
'Meta took a bad decision': Canada's heritage minister says about Online News Act fallout
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
Strong earthquake that sparked a tsunami warning leaves 1 dead amid widespread panic in Philippines
A powerful earthquake that shook the southern Philippines killed at least one villager and injured several others as thousands scrambled out of their homes in panic and jammed roads to higher grounds after a tsunami warning was issued, officials said Sunday.