Man lost exploring backcountry near Kelowna rescued by helicopter
A man got stranded while exploring the backcountry near Kelowna in his truck. Air Services was needed after Kelowna RCMP received a call from a man stranded with his truck near the Brenda Lake Recreation site off Highway 97C, according to an RCMP press release. The man was driving...
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A man got stranded while exploring the backcountry near Kelowna in his truck.
Air Services was needed after Kelowna RCMP received a call from a man stranded with his truck near the Brenda Lake Recreation site off Highway 97C, according to an RCMP press release.
The man was driving through the backcountry in his 4x4 truck when he got stuck in the snow, Nov. 21, and called 911.
The driver could not give his precise coordinates to the RCMP and police were unable to pinpoint his phone. RCMP could not locate the man from the ground so it deployed its Air Services helicopter and received assistance from the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue.
Rescue crews were able to locate the man’s truck once in the air. Pilots landed the helicopter and hiked around 500 metres to rescue the driver and fly him out of the backcountry safely.
The man did not suffer any injuries.
“This is a strong reminder to be fully equipped and prepared when travelling into the backcountry,” Const. Mike Della-Paolera, Kelowna RCMP, said in the release.
RCMP and Search and Rescue want to remind the public that forest service roads are not maintained and impassable for road intended vehicles in the winter. Search and Rescue advises people not to rely on online maps to navigate forest service roads because they may not be accurate and are not updated with road conditions.
“Our community is fortunate that we have specialized resources from Kelowna RCMP Air Services and the many volunteers with COSAR that are able to assist in rescue in situations like this, otherwise this story could have ended very differently,” Della-Paolera said.
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