13-year-old girl missing after falling off paddleboard at Cultus Lake

A view of Cultus Lake, where a 13-year-old girl is missing and suspected drowned on Saturday. Photo by PNG

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RCMP and other emergency services are scouring Cultus Lake for a 13-year-old girl who fell off her paddleboard Saturday afternoon.

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Witnesses told Chilliwack RCMP the girl was floating on a paddleboard at around 1:20 in the afternoon when she suffered a medical emergency and fell into the water. She was not wearing a life-jacket.

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Police officers along with Chilliwack Fire, B.C. Emergency Health Services and Chilliwack Search and Rescue are on-scene, conducting search and rescue efforts.

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Authorities are asking the public to avoid the Entrance Bay area of Cultus Lake, as it is an active search and rescue operation.

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There have been 40 accidental drowning deaths in the province so far this year, a significant spike from the 26 people who died across the same time frame in 2025.

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A man from Mission drowned while paddleboarding at Hayward Lake last month, after falling off his board. He wasn’t wearing a PFD and had limited swimming abilities.

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A newlywed couple died in May after falling off their paddleboards at Browning Lake near Squamish.

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The spike in drowning deaths has authorities issuing reminders about the importance of life-jackets.

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“Unexpected factors such as hitting your head, cold water shock, undercurrents or a collision with a watercraft can all have an immediate impact on your ability to keep yourself above the water, and a simple personal flotation device could mean the difference between a fun day on the water and a sad and tragic outcome,” RCMP said.

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This is a breaking story. More to come … 

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