Kimberley RCMP continue search for missing campers
By Nelson Daily Staff
Kimberley RCMP said that two males (18 and 21) who were reported missing early Sunday morning (June 9) have not been located as of Monday.
Police were called around 2:30 am after two males — Stephen Thomson from Canal Flats and Nicholas Hoefnagels from Carstairs Alberta — who had been camping at Whitetail Lake had not been seen since 3 p.m. Saturday.
At 6 a.m. Search and Rescue teams from Kimberley and Columbia Valley along with RCMP began combing the area.
Around noon a spot was located along the Findlay Creek Forest Service Road where a vehicle had left the road, rolling down a steep embankment and into Findlay Creek.
Findlay Creek Forest Service Road is located off of Highway 93/95 west of Canal Flats.
Further checks by a SAR rope team found personal items belonging to the subjects on the bank near the water.
Search teams concentrated their efforts downstream from this location for the rest of the day. Neither the missing persons nor the truck were located. In addition to ground search teams a helicopter was utilized to check along the creek in areas inaccessible.
Currently the water levels are very high which makes searching difficult. The area around the creek is steep and rocky, limiting access. The visibility is low.
The RCMP dive team has been involved but the flow of the water is too fast to safely put divers in the water. A RCMP helicopter will be searching the area again Monday
Friends and family gathered at the site during the search, Victim Services assisted them in dealing with situation.
