Man missing after trying to retrieve volleyball from Kamloops, B.C., river

CBC

7 days ago

Rescue crews are continuing their search for a man along the Thompson River in Kamloops, B.C., after he went missing Sunday night.
The man was playing volleyball at Overlander Park when the ball went into the water, says Paula Davis, search manager with Kamloops Search and Rescue.
Davis says the man went to retrieve the ball in the river, where he began to struggle.
"Friends jumped in to try to help him but they were also ... struggling as well," Davis told host Shelley Joyce on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.
"The friends were able to get themselves to safety, but unfortunately the young man wasn't able to."
Davis says the man was in his mid-20s, but didn't provide any further details about him.
CBC News has reached out to Kamloops RCMP for more information.
Overlander Park is located in the city's North Shore neighbourhood, right by the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers.
Davis says Kamloops Fire and Rescue did a sweep of the area from the park to the airport Sunday night and did not find the man. Kamloops SAR continued the search by kayak and deployed a drone, but were also unsuccessful.
The search continued Monday morning, with Vernon Search and Rescue expected to assist.
Davis says they'll search the area where the man was last seen and continue downstream, but says poor visibility in the river could hamper their efforts.
Davis also warns the river is "very dangerous this time of year" due to its currents. The only designated river swimming beach in Kamloops is Riverside Park, across the river from Overlander Park.
"You don't want to underestimate it, that's for sure," she says. "It's really best to stay out of the water unless you're in an area that has pretty much no current."
Davis is asking the public to stay out of the search areas while rescue crews work Monday.