A senior man has died in what police are describing as a “tragic accident” after falling about nine metres from a cliff while out taking photos in Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver Tuesday afternoon.
Police arrived at the park around 7 p.m., March 16, after hikers had reported finding a backpack in the area and becoming concerned when nobody was around.
“We attended the park and conducted a search with the help of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue out of Horseshoe Bay. They helped us conduct a search from the water and they were the ones who quite quickly located the deceased partially in the water,” Sgt. Kevin Goodmurphy, West Vancouver Police spokesman, said.
Goodmurphy said it’s believed the 70-year-old man may have been trying to take a photo when he slipped and fell, after a camera and a tripod were found at the base of the cliff.
“Given what we discovered at the scene in Lighthouse Park and conversations we had with family members, we do believe that this is, unfortunately, a result of a tragic accident and likely a slip from the top of roughly a 30-foot cliff down to the water,” Goodmurphy said.
“I understand this person had left for the day or part of the day to Lighthouse Park to take some photographs and we did find some camera equipment at the scene, which is consistent with what people are telling us, so we believe this person unfortunately slipped.”
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue crews also attended to assist with the search.
Police do not believe the incident was suspicious and the coroner has taken over.
