Penticton and District Search and Rescue assisted in locating and evacuating a missing hunter.
On Oct. 9 B.C. Ambulance and Keremeos RCMP were alerted around 11 a.m. that a 39 year old male who was hunting with a group of three others near the U.S./Canada border in the Ashnola River Valley, south of Keremeos, had suffered a serious cut and required immediate medical assistance and evacuation.
B.C. Ambulance immediately dispatched a BCAS helicopter and also requested the assistance of Penticton and District Search and Rescue’s helicopter external transport system team to support the evacuation effort.
While the helicopter rescue was being deployed, nine SAR personnel from Penticton, Keremeos and Princeton responded to the area to assist if the helicopter teams needed further support.
Within 30 minutes of leaving the Penticton air base the helicopter external transport system located the hunting party. As soon as the team landed, four SAR personnel hiked to the injured hunter, provided immediate medical aid and carried him out to the awaiting BCAS helicopter. The male was airlifted to the Kelowna General Hospital for treatment.
Randy Brown, public information officer for the Penticton SAR said the extent of the man’s injuries and current status are unknown.
