A Tacoma Boy Scout troop is mourning the loss of one of its own after a tragic accident this week.
Liam Von Berks, a 17-year-old from Washington State, fell to his death at Chatterbox Falls Aug. 17.
The boy was hiking with a group of Sea Scouts from the Tacoma area at about 5 p.m. when he fell approximately 150 feet down the falls.
Sunshine Coast RCMP said foul play is not suspected but their investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Gibsons coroner Dan Devlin said he was not able to release all the details of the accident but noted Von Berks was attended to by physicians from Camp Malibu and was declared dead at the scene.
"All the Boy Scouts are trained in CPR and they made every effort to save him, but it wasn't possible," said Devlin.
Doug Dillow, executive director for Boy Scouts of America, said the other scouts who were hiking with Von Berks at the time of the accident came home to Tacoma Aug. 18, where they were met by grief counsellors and clergy.
"All the efforts are in place to help them," said Dillow.
He noted Sea Scouts are a branch of the Boy Scouts of America and they often organize weekend or week-long trips where they put their nautical skills into practice.
"Each group plans their own activities and I don't know the details of this particular outing," said Dillow.
He said his deepest sympathies go out to the Von Berks family.
"While such accidents are rare in the Boy Scouts of America, we pledge to do whatever we can to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again," he added.
