A search and rescue team in Kelowna, B.C., says a missing person was found dead on Saturday, about 155 feet (47 metres) deep in a lake, after being swept away in a “massive mudslide” earlier this month.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said the landslide happened on Westside Road at about 9:45 p.m. PT on April 1, shutting down the road in both directions.
The slide sent more than 20,000 tons of debris across the highway and into the Okanagan Lake, according to the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR).
The search and rescue team responded to the scene on April 1 to assess if anyone could have been swept away in the slide. Initially, no one was reported missing, but a few days later, the team was told a driver may have been travelling through the area.
A debris slide in the central Okanagan has closed off the only direct road running between Vernon and West Kelowna. As Brady Strachan reports, it happened along steep slopes where a wildfire burned trees and vegetation two years ago.
West Kelowna RCMP launched a missing person investigation, and Central Okanagan and Vernon SARs began to search the area.
RCMP said some “unique items” believed to belong to the missing person had been located in the area.
COSAR search manager Ed Henczel told CBC News last week that crews had done a sweep of the area at the time of the slide, including by boat, but sediment in the water had prevented them from doing a full assessment.
He said the items found that led investigators to believe a person was swept away in the slide included a boot that matched the shoe size of the missing person, inside door panels from a vehicle, propane canisters, a cooler and a hot tub cover.
Henczel said the slide had been caused by a normally small creek that had become dammed, leading to a significant build-up of water.
“When it blew, it was hitting trees seven metres high … ripping massive trees out of the ground,” he said.
“It was a big one.”
The search and rescue team says they spent almost 1,000 volunteer hours on land and in water to hunt for the missing individual, with drones, boats and dogs being deployed to the area.
The team says the missing driver and the vehicle were both found in water on Saturday, and the RCMP underwater recovery team would complete the recovery.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” COSAR said in a statement.
RCMP did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
