A Whitehorse father has died after trying to rescue three children — including his two sons — from B.C.'s Wood Lake near the Kokanee Beach Resort.

Today, the B.C. Coroners Service identified the victim as 42-year-old George Matthew Klein, according to The Canadian Press.

The three boys, aged nine to 11, were swimming at around 2 p.m. last Saturday, Lake Country RCMP said in a press release.

They were just off shore when they were called in by their mother.

The group was suddenly carried further out into Wood Lake by the strong currents of the Vernon Creek.

The boys' mother yelled for help, and other family members ran to the water to assist.

The three boys, along with their cousin and grandfather, were all eventually rescued by operators of a nearby paddle boat.

Unfortunately, Klein disappeared under the water and was presumed drowned.

At 5:56 p.m., Vernon Search and Rescue located his body in about five metres (16 feet) of water approximately 15 metres (50 feet) from the south shore of Wood Lake.

The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (Dive Team) with the assistance of the RCMP Air Services, the Lake Country Volunteer Fire Department and Vernon Search and Rescue (SAR) completed the recovery.

The lake has claimed lives in the past, the RCMP said.