RCMP recovered a third body after a boat overturned in the Squamish River north of Vancouver during flooding from heavy rain.
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Sea to Sky RCMP say a third person has died after a boat overturned in the swollen Squamish River north of Vancouver, following days of heavy rain and flooding in the region.
In an update on Friday, Insp. Robert Dykstra, the officer in charge of the Sea to Sky RCMP, said police initially had about eight people aboard the boat on Thursday, and that no one is unaccounted for. Dykstra said he was not sure why the boat was on the water or what caused it to overturn, adding, "I do believe that they ran into something. That's all I really know at this point."
Police received the call around 1:50 p.m. on Thursday, but responders took time to reach the area because of a road washout and the condition of the raging river. Police initially said two people died and a third person was missing, and Dykstra said the third body was recovered by Friday afternoon.
Dykstra said he believed the boat was local to Squamish and he was not aware of any injuries among any survivors. Police have not released details about the victims or survivors. The situation is described by Dykstra as "tragic."
The crash followed a series of storms that dropped more than 300 millimetres of rain in some parts of B.C. this week. The Sea to Sky corridor, including Squamish and Pemberton, was among the hardest hit areas. At the Squamish airport earlier Friday, three full white body bags were unloaded from a helicopter as local search and rescue team members gathered before deploying to recover the third victim.
Emergency health officials said BC Emergency Health Services received a call at 2:48 p.m. on Thursday about the incident near the 15,900 block of Squamish Valley Road, and that no one was taken to hospital.
RCMP said in the aftermath that people should stay home and stay safe during major weather events, especially around rapidly moving waters, adding, "These waters are unforgiving when they're going fast."
Evacuation measures remained in place in the region. The entire village of Pemberton, about 90 kilometres north of Squamish, remained under an evacuation alert, and evacuation orders imposed by the Lil’wat First Nation and in Zeballos on Vancouver Island were also still in effect. A shelter-in-place advisory issued Thursday for some residents about 16 kilometres north of Squamish was lifted Friday, and residents were still advised not to drive across flooded roads.
Local and provincial officials also commented on the tragedy. Legislator Jeremy Valeriote, who represents West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said he was "devastated" and that his thoughts are with the victims’ families. Lorne Doerkson, B.C.’s premier-designate, called the situation "very serious" and said he intended to visit the area.
In addition to the response to the boat incident, the province said river and flood warnings were changing. The River Forecast Centre downgraded warnings to a lower-level high streamflow advisory for the south coast and ended flood watches for Fraser Valley north, the central coast and east Vancouver Island. Environment Canada also warned of a new flooding risk from storm surge, saying elevated water levels could surpass tidal predictions in low-lying coastal areas of Metro Vancouver, southeast Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands, driven by high winds and "enhanced wave activity," and could last into the weekend.
Wilson Williams, chairperson of the Squamish Nation, said he was "calling upon Mother Nature" to protect people in areas dealing with hazardous weather. Dykstra said police have not released further details about what caused the boat to overturn, and that the investigation is continuing.
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