There were 162 water-related deaths in Manitoba from 2009 to 2015; 29 (18%) of which took place in the Thompson and north central census region.

 

That’s second only to Winnipeg, which experienced 20% (33) of the 162 deaths according to numbers from the Lifesaving Society of Manitoba.

 

The society also released figures from 2006 through 2015, which show that 14% of all 231 water-related deaths in Manitoba happen near Indigenous communities, and that most victims (20%) are between the ages of 20 and 29.

 

Of those 231, 71% (163) happened in a rural area, while only 29% (68) happened in an urban centre.

 

The data shows that 23.3% (54) of all water-related deaths (2006-2015) were the result non-boat related transportation incidents, while just 22.5% (52) were related to boating.

 

Kevin Tordiffe, the acting CEO of the Lifesaving Society Manitoba Branch, said in a statement that many of the transportation deaths came from vehicles going through the ice or off the road into water. He added that more work is needed in preventing those deaths.

 

To hear more about the statistics, tune in to for the first half of a two-part Thompson Today interview on 102.9 CHTM at 12:40pm and again at 5:10pm.

 

The second half will play tomorrow at the same times.