Police have released the identity of a man who died after he fell off a cliff in Cape Breton Friday afternoon.
RCMP say 64-year-old Susumu Yoda of Bedford, N.S. was camping alone near the edge of the cliff in Meat Cove when he fell.
According to police, Yoda hadn’t been seen since Thursday afternoon, until a hiker found his body Friday 150 metres below one of Meat Cove’s steep cliffs.
Police responded to the call just before 4 p.m. Friday.
Emergency personnel were able to get to Yoda but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Based on our investigation we do not believe foul play was involved in his death,” says RCMP Sgt. Brigdit Leger. “At this time, it appears to be a tragic incident.”
Meat Cove, located at the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, is a popular camping spot and police say it’s not uncommon for campers to settle near the edge of its cliffs.
Meanwhile, friends of the victim are trying to cope with his sudden and tragic death.
“It’s shocking. We still can’t believe it,” says friend Paula Vatavu. “It’s so sad and it doesn’t make any sense that that would happen.”
Yoda was a longtime employee at Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax, where he was known as “Sumi.”
Grief counsellors were brought into the casino on the weekend to help Yoda’s co-workers cope with the loss.
“It was hard to believe,” says chef Curtis Sparks, who worked with Yoda in the kitchen. “I knew Sumi for almost two years…quiet guy, great, very professional at whatever he did.”
Sparks says Yoda loved life and made the best sushi around. Both Sparks and Vatavu also noted his love of photography.
“He loved taking pictures, scenery, he would just travel all across Nova Scotia,” she says.
She also says his love of scenery and photography is what brought him to Meat Cove.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Garreth MacDonald
