Rescue boats are searching the waters of Lake Ontario near the Humber River after a young man fell off the back of a cruise boat during a party Saturday evening.
The incident happened around 7:40p.m.
According to other passengers on the boat, a man in his 20s fell off the back of the 'Nothern Spirit,' possibly after drinking.
Other passengers on the boat were initially able to track him, but then lost sight of him.
“I saw him in the water, but no one’s seen him in over an hour,” passenger Ami Shah told CP24.com by phone.
The Toronto police Marine Unit confirmed around 8 p.m. that two boats were searching for the man.
Since then Toronto Fire Services and the Peel Region marine unit have also joined in to help and a helicopter has been dispatched from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton.
The cruise boat itself was initially headed back to dock by 9 p.m., however an announcement over the ship’s PA system said the boat had joined a search pattern and would keep looking until told to stop.
The boat finally returned to dock around 10:30 p.m. Police said they would be interviewing witnesses.
According to a notice about the cruise party posted online, the sunset event featured dinner, DJs, a live band and access to three bars aboard the three-storey yacht.
According to the post, the boat has a capacity of about 550 people, though it’s not clear how many were actually aboard for the party.
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