Family and friends have identified the 14-year-old boy who was swept away by the Oldman River in southern Alberta late last week.
Mason Soderstrom has not been seen since Friday. Two search dogs are now involved in the recovery effort to find the boy’s body.
Lethbridge search and rescue teams have been on site since the teen was pulled into the river on Friday evening. First responders were alerted at around 7:40 p.m. when police said two youths were in the river and one of them struggled to get out.
The second teen and an adult who was with them tried to pull him out of the water, but the current was too strong.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to offer financial support to Soderstrom’s family.
“No parent should ever have to go through losing their child,” reads the message on the page. “Mason was a kind and cool kid and also talented, who is loved my many teachers and friends and of course family.”
On Saturday, Lethbridge deputy fire chief Dana Terry said it’s unlikely the teen would have survived and classified the search as a recovery mission.
The Alexander Wilderness Park remains closed as the recovery mission continues. The City of Lethbridge said crews will continue their efforts until it gets dark on Wednesday.
Watch below: Rescue teams continue their search for a teenager who was caught in the Oldman River’s current last week. A dive team is using sonar to search the river bottom where it runs through Alexander Wilderness Park. Kyle Benning has the latest. (filed July 9, 2018).