A 68-year-old woman from West Kelowna died on Thursday morning after falling into a fast-moving creek and getting swept into Okanagan Lake.
According to officials, she fell into the swift waters of Powers Creek, which enters the lake at Powers Point, near the West Kelowna Yacht Club.
The woman was taking pictures on a rock in Glen Canyon Regional Park when she slipped and fell into the creek, police said. A friend who was with her then frantically phoned 911.
Police officers and firefighters checked the creek banks and the lake shore, and a boater appeared and offered help.
An officer joined the boater, with the two finding the woman unconscious in Okanagan Lake, around one kilometre from where she fell in.
She was pulled from the water and was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but did not survive.
“This was a tragedy that will affect many,” said Const. Mike Della-Paolera. “Our hearts are with the family of this woman.”
Sgt. Greg Woodcox added that “considering where this occurred, and the water was extremely fast-moving and the rock that the lady fell off was saturated with water — which are extreme warning signs. If you fall in, your chance of survival is very small.”
“Thank goodness (the boater) was there to help us because we didn’t have the (rescue) boat at the immediate time.”
Global News also talked to West Kelowna Fire Rescue about the incident.
“We tried to determine the containment zone, where we would be to likely find the patient,” said WKFR deputy fire chief Chad Gartrell.
“So we set up at Gellatly south and down by Willow Beach. We had crews working both sides of the creek to locate the patient.”
With B.C. in freshet season, officials added that everyone should take extreme caution when around moving water and stay back from creek and river banks.
“There are still people too close to the waterway. That’s all it takes, you go for a walk in the morning and you end up, potentially dying an hour later. Stay away from the water. If you don’t have a flotation device or anything like that there’s no reason to be by it,” said Woodcox.