Search crews locate truck of two missing men in Findlay Creek Falls
By Nelson Daily Staff
Search crews have located the truck believed to belong to two men reported missing June 9 in the East Kootenay west of Canel Flats.
East Kootenay RCMP Cpl. Chris Newel said the truck was found Sunday (June 16) in Findlay Creek Falls. The two males reportedly went off Findlay Creek Forest Service Road, down a steep embankment and into the water.
“During the past week the water level dropped and there was increased clarity,” said Cpl. Newel in a statement.
“With better conditions a team of sixteen Swift Water Rescue Technicians searched the area and located the truck at the top of the falls wedged up against a rock outcropping.”
Findlay Creek Forest Service Road meets Highway 92/95 west of Canal Flats and leads to Whitetail Lake and the Blue Lake Centre.
The truck is fully submerged and appears badly damaged.
The search team attempted to use an underwater camera but the swift flowing water prevented teams from directing the camera into effective positions.
SAR teams are exploring other options to get the camera down near the truck.
Hydrology experts claim the water level is the highest in June and lowest in March. At this time the water is flowing at a rate of 50-80 cubic meters per second. This velocity makes it unsafe to enter the water or attempt recovery of the truck.
Police are monitoring the water levels and the search will continue as conditions permit. Weather also becomes a factor and the expected rain will cause the water levels to rise, restricting search efforts.
The two men, Stephen Thomson, 21, of Canal Flats, and Nicholas Hoefnagels, 18, of Carstairs, Alberta, left their campsite at Whitetail Lake around 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.
Police were called when they still hadn’t returned by 2:30 a.m.
Search and Rescue and RCMP found a spot on Findlay Creek Forest Service Road where it appeared that a vehicle had left the road down a steep embankment into Findlay Creek.
A Search and Rescue team combed the area and found personal items on the bank of the creek. At that time there was no sign of the vehicle.
