The town of Harbour Breton is in mourning after a fishing accident took the life of a man over the weekend.

Three men were aboard the scallop vessel on Sunday morning when it overturned near the community.

Robert Hynes, training officer with the Harbour Breton Fire Department, describes how one of the men was able to swim to shore and get help.

He says the boat was situated in the middle of a sheltered part of the bay. The man swam through the frigid water, and once on land walked through the woods to get to a cabin. There he was able to warm himself up and call for help.

According to Hynes, the two other men were trapped inside the vessel. He says when crews recovered the men, one of them was unconscious. CPR was performed but the man didn’t make it.

Hynes says the man was well-known throughout the community.

“It’s a dark day in the community,” says Hynes, who notes that everyone knew the man and everyone has been affected by the tragedy.

Hynes says the other two men on board the vessel have since been released from hospital.