The two victims who were swept into the Capilano River when water was released from the Cleveland Dam Thursday have now been identified.
The body of Ryan Nickerson was recovered in the aftermath of the flash flood but the body of his 27-year-old son Hugh has not yet been recovered.
Father and son were on the banks of the Capilano River Thursday afternoon when they were swept into the fast-moving water.
Several other people were also caught up in the flood but managed to pull themselves clear or were rescued.
Officials confirmed Friday there was no “public-facing” alarm that could have warned people about the unplanned release of a large volume of water from the dam.
“My understanding is that there is no alarm on the dam that is a public address-type system for people near the dam,” Jerry Dobrovolny, commissioner of the Metro Vancouver regional district, said in a news conference.
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“There is a telemetry system that sends information to our control room, which is over at the Seymour Dam.”
Questions remain as to whether there should be a warning system on the dam.
Metro Vancouver officials have launched an investigation into how the water was released from the dam, though said it was related to a maintenance issue.
“There was no problem or failure or breach at the dam itself,” Dobrovolny said.
“The dam is safe, there are no structural issues.”
The spillway gate is now locked and Dobrovolny said it will likely remain locked throughout the winter.
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