A teenager had to be treated for hypothermia after a chilly night outdoors.
A 13-year-old girl was found at about 2 a.m. Wednesday after last being seen near Parker’s Cove on Westside Road at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“She was very cold,” said Leigh Pearson, with Vernon Search and Rescue.
She was treated for hypothermia by search crews and then transported to Vernon Jubilee Hospital for further observation.
The girl was found 150 metres away from where she was last seen but she had been walking for hours.
“She made a big circle and she came back to where we found her,” said Pearson.
Vernon Search and Rescue were called out by the RCMP at 8 p.m. Tuesday and 24 volunteer members began searching the area on foot and in vehicles.
With the temperature dropping, and the girl only wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a hoody, assistance was sought from search crews in Kelowna and Salmon Arm.
“We were concerned about the cold and it was taking time to cover the ground we needed to. We needed extra bodies,” said Pearson.
North Okanagan residents are being urged to prepare for winter weather and dress warmly even if outside for just a few minutes.
“It doesn’t take long to get hypothermia, especially if you get wet or work up a sweat,” said Pearson.
