Two boaters dead after they went overboard on Aylesford Lake in N.S.

Emergency and search crews respond to a boating accident that left one man dead and another missing on Aylesford Lake on July 1, 2026. (Submitted: Bill Roberts)

Two men are dead after a boating accident on Canada Day in Nova Scotia’s Kings County.

The RCMP and other emergency crews responded to a report that people had been ejected from a boat on Aylesford Lake around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Police say five men from Kings County had been in the boat when the surface conditions of the water changed, and two passengers were thrown from the vessel.

A nearby boater found one man in the water. The 70-year-old man from Aylesford was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three men who remained in the boat were not injured.

The other missing person, identified as a 58-year-old man from Aylesford, was found dead on Thursday following a search.

“The police and first responder presence at Aylesford Lake is concluded,” an RCMP news release reads. “The investigation is ongoing.

“Our thoughts are with both men’s loved ones at this difficult time.”

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Valley Ground Search and Rescue, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, and RCMP Underwater Recovery Team were all involved in the search.

This is the second fatal boating incident in Nova Scotia this week. A 24-year-old man also died after he was thrown from a boat in the Northumberland Strait Tuesday night.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Sean Mott

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page