Search for missing woman suspended due to high water, poor visibility in the Thompson River

Sixteen members from Kamloops Search and Rescue and three from Vernon Search and Rescue were involved in Monday’s search. They had boats equipped with sonar, a swiftwater team, a drone team as well as ground crews working along the shoreline.

The vehicle was last seen in the water off Alder Avenue, one block south of Birch Avenue. Gerlof said the murky waters did not help as keen eyes scoured the riverbanks looking for any sign of the vehicle or the missing woman.

“Visibility yesterday was maybe 20 centimetres and the river is quite deep in some areas – six, seven metres,” Gerlof said.

Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) also had a boat out on the water not long after the incident, which happened around 6:21 p.m. Sunday. That boat was also called in Monday and it will return if required.

“The water being so murky, it’s very difficult to see anything in there,” acting platoon chief Will Harlock told CFJC Today. “And when the sun is low and with it being cloudy right now, visibility is actually more difficult.”

Harlock said the search area is massive, encompassing the area from the crash site all the way down river towards Cooney Bay, west of Kamloops Airport.

“That river was moving so fast,” Harlock added. “If you see the way the North and South Thompson connect and the way water goes out before it even gets to the Overlanders Bridge, it goes out to the south side of the river so it actually pushes quite hard.”

Police say three bystanders jumped into the river to try and rescue the two women on Sunday, and one of those would-be rescuers had to also be pulled to safety. It’s why KFR says to leave water rescues to the professionals as they’re trained and equipped to handle the unpredictable.

“If you’re a strong swimmer and you have a life jacket, yes, you can go in but ultimately, this is the fire department’s job,” KFR life safety educator Josh Cowen added. “Luckily, we had crews on scene rather quickly at this weekend’s tragedy and they were able to pull some people out.”

Cowen added even if you’re properly prepared, the Thompson River can present a number of challenges at this time of year. Recreational swimmers are told to only use the roped off area at Riverside Park.

“If you are going to go in, this water is cold and there are strong currents and you never know what kind of debris is in the water as well,” Cowen added. “The spring freshet is coming up, the rivers are coming up and its going to get more and more dangerous on the Thompson River.”

While the investigation remains in the very early stages, Gerlof says it appears to have been a tragic accident. It’s not clear what caused the vehicle to go off the road and there’s been no indication about the identities of the people in the vehicle or those who jumped in to try to help out.

“We commend that person, of course, very courageous,” Gerlof said. “It’s super dangerous, though. The river is always unpredictable and dangerous especially this time of year.”

Harlock said last he heard, the two people had been released from Royal Inland Hospital, but he didn’t have any further information on their status.

“If they’ve been released, then they’d be good in health,” Harlock added.

It could be weeks – if not months – before conditions are more suitable for a search of the river. KSAR will be working with the RCMP to coordinate those next steps of what appears to now be a recovery operation, but Gerlof said people can help out in the meantime.

“If you’re walking your dog along the river or whatever and you see something that might be interesting, give the RCMP a call,” she said.

“I’m sure they will check it out.”

by Victor Kaisar

Search for missing woman suspended due to high water, poor visibility in the Thompson River

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