Kelowna RCMP say a person has died inside a sunken tug boat at the Tolko mill in Kelowna.

RCMP said employees at Tolko Industries reported a marine incident at around 9:20 p.m. PT Monday night.

One of their commercial tug boats was underwater off the east shore of Okanagan Lake near the sawmill.

Police learned the operator of the vessel was unaccounted for.

Body inside submerged boat

According to the RCMP, members of the local fire department conducted an extensive search of the area.

A search and rescue team that arrived on the scene dropped an underwater camera into the lake and confirmed that a person was still inside the boat.

An RCMP underwater team has recovered the body, though the boat remains in the lake.

The victim has not been identified by police, but a relative at the scene said the man was nearing retirement.

Tolko Industries has not commented on the incident.

'More needs to be done to protect workers'

The B.C. Federation of Labour is responding to the death by renewing its call for the province to make B.C. workplaces safer.

Monday's fatality follows another deadly workplace accident at a log sorting facility in Lumby on Friday.

"All workers must enjoy the basic right to be safe on the job and to come home safely to their families at the end of their shift. But these two deaths — along with a third involving a Victoria construction worker two weeks ago — are a sign that more needs to be done to protect workers," said Irene Lanzinger, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour.

RCMP continue to investigate along with WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Coroners Service.

With files from Brady Strachan.