Police find bodies of 2 men believed drowned at Sandpoint Beach

CBC

May 25, 2024 at 10:40 a.m.·2 min read

Windsor police cruiser is parked Friday in the area where two went missing at Sandpoint Beach. (Michael Evans/CBC - image credit)

Windsor police say they've found the bodies of two men believed drowned after going into the water at Sandpoint Beach on Thursday evening.

Police said on social media that they found the missing men just before 8 p.m. Friday evening.

"The deaths of the two men are not being treated as suspicious," police said.

The two men went missing when they were swimming in the area west of Sandpoint Beach, police said Friday. It's an area with longstanding safety concerns because of its steep drop into the strong currents at the mouth of the Detroit River.

Police said the two men on Thursday "suddenly went under the water and did not resurface."

Yogesh Bajgai, 26, is one of two men presumed to have drowned after getting in the water just west of Sandpoint Beach on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Submitted by Chuda Bajgai)

Emergency services combed the water along with the Canadian Coast Guard, using drones to try to locate them.

Friends and relatives at the beach on Friday identified the men. One is Yogesh Bajgai, 26, who his uncle says is a hard worker helping support several members of his family.

St. Clair College said its community was saddened to hear that Rohit Dheer, a graduating student, was one of the victims.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of both [Dheer and Bajgai] during this difficult time," the school said in a social media post.

Several people have died by drowning at the site, the previous most recent being in May 2021, a city report on the project dated April 2024 notes.

Two years ago, the city released a concept design for the area that would flip the location of the beach and park, moving the swimming area away from the mouth of the Detroit River. Two public consultations have been held on the issue.

Sandals are shown in the search area at Sandpoint Beach after two international students went missing on May 23, 2024.

Sandals are shown in the search area at Sandpoint Beach after two men went missing on May 23, 2024. (Michael Evans/CBC)

The city has installed a fenced-off area, designating the safe swim area.

Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani says the environmental assessment for making changes to the beach has been completed, and council is expecting an update in late 2024 or 2025.

The project is currently slated for 2028 or 2029, he said, a timeline Marignani said was "just too long."

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