News Release

Man believed drowned in Pray Lake

Date: August 7, 2019
Contact: For Media Inquiries, 406-888-5838
Contact: For Visitor Inquiries, 406-888-7800

FINAL UPDATE (Aug. 8, 2019): The name of the victim in Tuesday's Pray Lake drowning is 64-year-old Wales Wai Ming Poon. He was a resident of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, who was visiting Glacier National Park with family. 

UPDATE (Aug. 7, 2019): The body of the man who drowned in Pray Lake was recovered Wednesday, August 7. He was found in approximately 30 feet of water by a team using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) brought in by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office Dive Team. The park expects to release the name of the victim in the morning once family notifications have been completed.  

West Glacier, MT – On Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at approximately 4:30 pm, rangers responded to a bystander report of a man drowning in Pray Lake in Glacier National Park.

Rangers immediately responded. Witnesses reported that they had seen the man struggling in the lake, and then go underneath the water.

Rangers dove into the lake to locate the victim, but were unable to find him. National Park Service and visitor boats searched the lake until dark, but have not located the man. Local dive team resources were unable to respond on Tuesday because they were already assigned to another drowning outside the park.

Searching began again today at first light, with National Park Service searchers, the Flathead County Dive Team and Blackfeet Tribal Police.

Witnesses reported that it appeared the man may have gone into the lake to retrieve a dog. The dog has died.

The victim is a 64-year-old man who is a resident of Edmonton, Canada. The National Park Service will release his name once family notifications have been completed. 

The area immediately around Pray Lake will be closed to visitors while the search continues. 
 
Pray Lake is located in the Two Medicine area of the park, next to the Two Medicine Campground. Relatively small in size, the lake is about 700 feet long and approximately 400 feet wide. The area near the inlet where the man was last seen is approximately 20 feet deep.