Car submerged in Arrow Lake causes concern for cops
By Kyra Hoggan
A car submerged in Arrow Lake about 10 km past Syringa Park caused local first responders great concern Sunday, according to Castlegar RCMP Cpl. Brett Turner.
Turner said a call came at at roughly 2 p.m., with the complainant alerting police to some odd debris along a steep embankment and down into the lake, including a license plate, headlight, and some personal effects – all of which indicated a car had gone over the embankment and into the water.
“The embankment is very steep, and the water gets very deep, very quickly,” Turner said, adding Search and Rescue crews were on site almost right away. “SAR used their side-scanning sonar and underwater cameras to locate the vehicle in the water at a depth of 125 feet.”
He said responders were deeply concerned to discover, from the license plate information, that the owner of the vehicle was a mother with two children. Subsequent efforts to locate the family found the children safe and sound, but it wasn’t until the following day that the mother (and vehicle owner) returned from out of town to discover her vehicle had been stolen.
RCMP dive teams arrived Monday to assist in the investigation.
“The dive team confirmed the vehicle was unoccupied,” Turner said. “There were no bodies associated with the vehicle. Everyone that we know of is safe and sound.”
He said the investigation into the theft continues.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Castlegar RCMP at (250)365-0803 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 .
