REVELSTOKE, B.C. — A man is believed to have drowned after slipping into the Columbia River in Revelstoke.
Police say the missing man was around 69-years-old and lived in the Revelstoke area.
Police originally issued a media release saying the man was swimming in the river Wednesday afternoon.
“A group of three swimmers were at the Centennial Park Boat Launch in the water and reported that only two came out after the swim,” said the media release.
“The RCMP is treating the matter as a drowning.”
Thursday a Revelstoke RCMP officer told Global News the missing man was not swimming.
Instead, the officer said the man was with two others near the boat launch when he slipped and fell into the water and was carried away by the current.
RCMP with the help of Revelstoke Search and Rescue were out Wednesday trying to locate the man’s body.
“The Revelstoke RCMP police boat along with a private boat were launched to conduct a search on the river, in addition to SAR technicians and Revelstoke Fire Rescue crews that are walking the rivers’ edge and park trails,” said Blakney.
The search stopped overnight and resumed again Thursday.
RCMP searched the shorelines Thursday morning and plan to use a helicopter to continue looking for the man’s body.
Police say there is signage in the area advising people not swim there as the currents, eddies, and back-channels are very dangerous especially in the early spring.
– with files from Jim Lenton
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