A 23-year-old Sechelt man remains missing as Sunshine Coast RCMP and Worksafe B.C. investigate a suspected drowning off a log boom in Port Mellon.

Cpl. Steve Chubey said in a news release Friday morning that Tyler James Smith went missing Thursday morning (Oct. 13) while affixing swifter lines to a log boom at Sechelt Creek Contracting Ltd. (Twin Creeks Log Sort) in Port Mellon.

Chubey said Smith had been working for only a few months at the Log sort. 

“The sidewinder Smith was working on was located approximately 400 meters off shore, tied to the shore side of the boom,” said Chubey. “RCMP believe Smith fell overboard and may have entered the water sometime between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning. There were no witnesses to event.”

Chubey said navy, search and rescue and the coast guard conducted extensive searches all day Thursday and were continuing to search on Friday morning.

Smith was not believed to be wearing life jacket at the time.

RCMP and Work Safe BC are still investigating the incident. RCMP are currently investigating this as a ‘missing persons’ case.