A 24-year-old P.E.I. man has died after the snowmobile he was on went off a trail and into a ditch, according to a release from RCMP.

The crash happened on the Confederation Trail in the Newton area, near Kinkora. The man was found Thursday morning around 10:25, according to RCMP Sgt. Craig Eveleigh.

He said the 24-year-old's father called RCMP Thursday morning to say that his son hadn't returned home from a snowmobile trip with a friend the night before.

Police say the two friends had parted ways around 9 p.m. Wednesday to head home for the night.

Police called Ground Search and Rescue and had a drone ready to help in the search, but before they reached the area someone had found the man "just off the Confederation Trail about 10 to 15 feet down an embankment" and called police, Eveleigh said.

The man was wearing a helmet at the time, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, Eveleigh said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with [the family], it's a difficult time and we encourage Islanders to be careful on their snowmobiles," he said.

The snowmobile is going to be inspected to see if there was a mechanical error, Eveleigh said.

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