Search continues for missing boater, kayaker on Okanagan and Kalamalka lakes

The search is in its second day for a pair of men who went missing on Okanagan and Kalamalka lakes Monday night when a severe windstorm swept through the region.

At around 11 p.m. on Monday, Vernon RCMP say they received a call about a kayaker who had been separated from a group of friends when the storm rolled through the valley. The 26-year-old Alberta man hasn’t been seen since, prompting a full-scale search.

“On Kalamalka Lake, we have an RCMP drone as well as RCMP underwater recovery team members involved in that search for the missing kayaker,” said Const. Chris Terleski of the Vernon RCMP.

On Okanagan Lake near Ellison Provincial Park, police and WorkSafe BC continue to try and locate a 50-year-old Vernon man whose commercial fishing boat capsized as a result of that same storm.

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“That process is underway right now, in partnership with WorkSafe BC,” Terleski said.

“It’s a bit of a unique circumstance presenting some challenges. One is that we don’t want to disturb the boat and compromise its integrity in any way.”

Both searches involved Vernon Search and Rescue, which jumped into action quickly following the news of the two men going missing.

“We had two boats looking with crews on the water, with lights and with infrared search gear,” said VSAR search manager, Trevor Honigman.

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“Then we had ground crew combing the docks and the shorelines for clues as well.”

But as of Tuesday morning, Vernon RCMP had called off Vernon Search and Rescue from assisting, and the Mounties took over.

“The RCMP has put us on hold on both of those searches, and it’s up to them to call us back when they get more information or when more clues are brought to the surface,” Honigman said.

“That’s up to the investigators at the time,” Terleski said.

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“If they determine they have sufficient resources, then I mean we don’t want to task any additional resources if not necessary, but we do know our partners at VSAR are willing and able to assist if need be.”

RCMP ask the public to give them space during the searches and avoid the areas if possible.

“We don’t need anyone in the area,” Terleski said. “We’ll provide updates as necessary, but we would just ask that people avoid any police activity they may see in the area.”