Police are advising the public to use caution on the still-high and still-fast-flowing Shuswap River following a long weekend drowning.
A 23-year-old Kelowna woman died when she was pulled into a river logjam near the 400 block of Enderby-Mabel Lake Road Sunday. The woman got tangled up in the logs and was pulled under the water.
Her body was recovered a short time later.
“Indications are she was out on some type of raft with a group of friends when she was pulled into the jam,” said RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk.
“Her friends got to shore and ran to a home to call 911. CPR was attempted on the woman for quite some time, but she could not be revived.”
It does not appear the woman was wearing any type of flotation device, and police state she was the only one in the group who got pulled towards the logjam.
Police say the August long weekend is traditionally the kick-off to the tubing season on the river, but conditions are very different this year.
“We haven’t seen waters in the Shuswap River this high at this time of year for quite some time, and it’s flowing much faster and colder,” said Molendyk.
“We don’t want anybody to get lulled into a false sense of security. The water conditions are totally different this year.”
The victim’s name had not been released prior to The Morning Star’s deadline as police and the coroner were in the process of contacting next-of-kin.
It’s the second drowning on the Shuswap River in 2011.
A 17-year-old Enderby male’s body was pulled from the river in June, nearly three weeks after he was reported missing.
Meanwhile, police said there is still no sign of a 31-year-old Vernon man who went missing in Monashee Creek, near Cherryville, on the May long weekend.
The man went missing from the Goldpanner Campground after he allegedly went into the creek to retrieve his dog.
