After three days of extensive aerial and ground searching, Parks Canada has scaled back its recovery operation for missing 11-year-old Calgary boy, Behzad Ahmad, who fell into the Yoho River Friday night.
Family spokesperson Sultan Mahmood said Ahmad, his younger brother and a cousin were on a rock. He said Ahmad tried to touch the water and fell in. His cousin was able to pull his younger brother up on the rock, then jumped in the water to try to save Ahmad.
“His father was also there and he jumped in but he was six, seven or eight metres from Behzad,” Mahmood said. “He couldn’t catch him and he was swept away.
“They were totally devastated. The father was in a much worse situation…the mother was trying to keep calm. They were totally shocked.”
Parks Canada said conditions in the area have caused crews to shift to a “recovery monitoring” search.
“With the conditions of the river and the terrain, there is high water flow, high volumes, the water is very milky and we have about a four-and-a-half kilometre section of canyons that are very tight with rock shelves, debris and boulders and log jams,” Parks Canada resource conservation manager Dwight Bourdin said Monday.
“So at this point we are moving to a recovery monitoring, with searching being our best option for locating the individual.”
Ahmad, who was identified by friends and family, was reported missing in the Takakkaw Falls area of Yoho National Park, roughly 200 kilometres west of Calgary.
READ MORE: 11-year-old Calgary boy missing after falling into river in Yoho National Park
Mahmood said the family is being offered emotional support.
“Hope is still there…we can’t tell the family there is no hope and they are not in a position to accept that,” he said.
“Who knows? Miracles can take place. Miracles have taken place in the past.”
When asked about safety concerns for tourists visiting the area, Bourdin said it’s no different than “safety in your own home or your backyard.”
“We like people to be aware of conditions that surround them and the environment that they’re in.”
Officials said the area will be monitored in the coming weeks as water levels change.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and we are doing everything we can based on what the natural conditions are showing,” Bourdin said Monday. “We’d like to see closure to the incident and bring closure to the family—that’s our main objective.”
According to Parks Canada, two boys were part of an extended family and had been playing by the edge of the Yoho River at around 7:20 p.m. when they both fell in the water.
One boy was pulled from the fast-moving river; Behzad was not. Parks officials started searching for the missing boy at around 7:40 p.m. until nightfall Friday. Crews resumed their efforts Saturday and Sunday at first light, until it was too dark to continue searching.
The extensive aerial and ground search included a dog handler, as well as local fire, RCMP, EMS, search and rescue crews and two helicopters.
Watch below: A massive search was underway Saturday for an 11-year-old Calgary boy who fell into the Yoho River in a popular tourist area. Tracy Nagai reports live from Field, B.C. (July 23).
Parks Canada spokesperson Tania Peters confirmed the incident was being treated as a missing persons case managed by the RCMP. She said the thoughts of all Parks Canada personnel were with the boy’s family and friends.
Yoho National Park is about 200 kilometres west of Calgary and approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Lake Louise.
Peters confirmed water levels have been high and the rivers flowing fast, but as of 11:50 p.m. Sunday, no streamflow advisories were in place for the area.
With files from Jill Croteau, Emily Mertz and Tracy Nagai
Comments