Man drowns after canoe overturns in Little Canada
The sister of a St. Paul man who drowned after his canoe capsized on Twin Lake in Little Canada, Minn., said his death could have been prevented.
Maiya Thao told the St. Paul Pioneer Press she was dumbfounded when she found out her brother and two childhood friends with him in the canoe were not wearing life jackets. Thao said her brother, 27-year-old Van Houa Thao, was only a mediocre swimmer.
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office and Little Canada firefighters responded to 911 reports that a canoe carrying three men had overturned shortly before noon.
Nearby residents rescued two of the men from the water. But Van Houa Thao went underwater and didn't resurface.
Following a search effort led by the Ramsey County sheriff's dive team, officers recovered his body from the lake shortly after 4 p.m.
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