Missing man believed to have jumped off Flatrock cliff

CBC News has learned that the unidentified man who went over a cliff in Flatrock on Saturday is believed to have voluntary jumped into the water while swimming with friends.

The cliff sitsnearthe Stiles Cove Path. Warning signs caution hikers to enter the area at their own risk and be mindful of steep cliffs.

The search continued Monday for the man believed to be in his 20s, and originally from British Columbia.

Searchers from several agencies were assisted by local fishermen over the weekend. The search stopped for the night by 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Emergency responders first got the call about the man falling over the cliff around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Flatrock area has seen two tragedies near its cliffs recently. Tendays ago,21-year-old Jessica McErlean died while rockclimbing in anarea of Flatrock known asThe Beamer.

• Rock climbers mourn death of Jessica McErlean

"It was heart wrenching, to hear of another death down here," FlatrockMayorDarrinThornesaid in an interview Monday.

He told CBC Radio that to have two such incidents in his town in less than two weeks is difficult to comprehend.

"Since our last council meeting two people have died in our town," he said.

Through the weekend, acoast guard vesselworked with smaller boats and ahelicopter to search the waters near where the man is thought to have fallen.

Thorne said he has limited information.

"From what I heard it was something related to swimming and someone on the East Coast Trail," he said.

The area where the man is thought to have goneover is on a different side of town from the rock climbing incident on Aug. 21.

Thorne said thetown may look at the idea of puttingmore signs onthe East Coast Trail, warning people of the dangers of the nearby cliffs.

In the meantime, he saidpeople need to be more cautious when around the popular hiking trails near the community.

"It's over 250 kilometres of trails, and those trails have opened a lot of areas where people wouldn't usually be," he said.

"I would just like to make people aware that if you're on the trails, some of those trails are very close to the edge of a cliff and you need to be careful and aware of that."