A desperate search is underway in Kelowna, B.C., for a missing person who may have been swept into rough, flooding waters Tuesday.
Duane Tresnich of Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) told CTV News that his crew of 22 volunteers spent eight hours trying to locate a missing person in rough water along Mission Creek greenway.
“Right now the water is running extremely fast,” said Tresnich. “So this current would be approximately 10 km/hour so it would easily be able to sweep somebody in the water and down. ”
Kelowna RCMP told CTV News it received reports of a missing person along Mission Creek near Pasadena Road. RCMP officers then teamed up with COSAR and utilized a drone and helicopter to help search the area. Crews suspended the search at around 10 p.m. Tuesday and plan to resume this morning.
Beyond the fast-moving current, Tresnich says the water also contains hazardous debris.
“The water’s eroding a lot of the banks so there’s a lot of trees that have fallen into Mission Creek and they’re jamming up and getting caught in sections,” said Tresnich. “So as you come through, you could be caught up in a log boom or a bunch of trees that are caught up in the water not able to flow through, or caught up in one of the bridges also.”
City officials declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, as heavy rainfall and melted snow resulted in flooding along Mission Creek. Multiple road closures were put in place and at least eight homes were impacted by the flooding, according to Sandra Follack, Central Okanagan emergency program co-ordinator.
“This was unexpected,” said Follack. “We had a bit of a breach of one of the areas along Mission Creek.”
Kelowna RCMP is expected to release more information on the search Wednesday morning.
Article by Kevin Charach, CTV Vancouver