Members of the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) organization have begun to look for person who is believed to have been a victim of the April 1, landslide in West Kelowna.
RCMP were initially contacted on April 2, by a person who was concerned that people experiencing unsheltered homelessness had been sheltering in the Reid Creek area when the landslide happened.
The slide washed out a portion of Westside Road between Main Street and Denison Road in the Reid Creek area on Tuesday, April 1 at approximately 9:45 p.m.
Ed Henczel, a spokesperson for COSAR said that following the alert that people may have been sheltering in the area 鈥� and an initial search and verification by the RCMP 鈥� a team of 13 volunteers were dispatched. The volunteers, which were comprised of a ground members, a drone team, a Search and Rescue dog named Barrett, and a boat crew attended the scene along with members of the RCMP for a six hour long search.
Henczel said that the RCMP had identified evidence that people had been sheltering in the area, but it was unclear how recently those individuals had last been there. The items found are not believed to have belonged to the subject of the current search.
The search was the team's first experience with a mudslide, said Henczel. The team used prior knowledge and training from swift water, avalanche, and flood rescues 鈥� in addition to guidance from other Search and Rescue teams 鈥� to stay safe and comb through the area.
After an extensive search, the area was deemed clear.
Then, on April 7, police notified the public that unique items possibly associated with someone last seen in the area of the landslide had been found. The West Kelowna RCMP opened a missing person investigation, stating that a person last seen in the area of the landslide has not been heard from since April 1.
COSAR was unable to resume a search of the area on foot immediately, as the slope was unstable and unsafe. On April 9, a geotechnical analysis was completed and the slope was determined safe for searching.
The ground team returned to the area at 10 a.m. on April 9.
"We had four ground teams combing the debris field today," said Henczel.
"We have some items but have not located our subject."
The search will continue into the evening. If the victim is not found, a boat team will be brought in to assist on Thursday April 10, and a dive team will be deployed on Friday April 11.
