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Kelowna man, presumed drowned in boat crash remembered by friends, family

The search for Ryan Hartmann is being treated as a recovery mission after a long-weekend collision
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Ryan Hartmann

A Kelowna man presumed drowned after a long-weekend boat crash on Shuswap Lake is being mourned by his loved ones.

Search and Rescue members scoured the lake for Ryan Hartmann, 33, for two days earlier this week.

According to the RCMP, Hartmann was among those thrown into the water after two speed boats travelling together collided sometime between 8 and 8:20 p.m. on Sunday.

Suesanna Leakey, who identified herself on a previous Black Press Media story as a family friend to Hartmann, took to social media on Wednesday to speak on the kind of man he was.

READ MORE: Missing man identified, presumed dead after crash on Shuswap Lake

“You were an amazing guy and I have known you were 8 years old and watched you grow and become such an amazing guy that had a huge heart,” she wrote on Facebook, adding that he would “be greatly missed forever.”

Police announced Wednesday afternoon that the search was being treated as a recovery mission while asking anyone with information on the incident to contact Mounties.

Hartmann’s body has yet to be recovered as of the Capital News press deadline on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a woman who was injured in the boating crash is recovering in hospital.

Chantal Craig, who identified herself on Facebook as one of the victims, wrote on Tuesday that hospital staff were taking good care of her and that she would be released in a few days.

As many questions remain unanswered, including what led to the collision, Craig asked for privacy.

“I just want to sleep and ease my mind and not constantly think about this,” she wrote.

“I wish this all [sic] didnt happen, and ill [sic] be praying for ryan and thinking about him, condolences go out to the Hartmann family.”

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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