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CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Fallen climbers rescued from B.C.'s Yak Peak while ‘hanging in their harnesses'
A hoist crew rescues two fallen hikers from Yak Peak, a summit located along B.C.'s Coquihalla Highway, on Aug. 6, 2025. (North Shore Rescue) Search crews pulled off a complicated rescue early Wednesday morning, extracting two fallen climbers from B.C.'s Yak Peak after being hampered by clouds and wildfire smoke for hours. The climbers were left 'hanging in their harnesses mid-face' following an accident on the mountain Tuesday, North Shore Rescue said in a social media post. One of the climbers had also suffered a head injury. North Shore Rescue was notified around 10:40 p.m., and worked through the night to bring the pair down safely with members of Hope Search and Rescue, Chilliwack Search and Rescue, Lions Bay Search and Rescue, and Talon Helicopters. A hoist crew managed to locate the climbers using night-vision goggles while circling Yak Peak in a helicopter, but hazy skies prevented them from plucking the pair off the mountain. 'Multiple attempts were made to get overtop of the climbers but unfortunately conditions were too dangerous and the helicopter was forced to land,' reads NSR's post. 'After waiting until weather improved, the flight crew flew up into the area but were again turned around by clouds and rain.' While climbing conditions were dangerous as well, a ground rescue was eventually mobilized – until the weather finally cleared up around 5:30 a.m., allowing for another hoist attempt. A new flight crew had to be assembled as the previous members 'were all timed out from the night before,' North Shore Rescue said. This time, rescuers were finally able to extract the climbers one at a time, beginning with the one who was injured. 'This was a complex task involving night flying, technical pick offs, mountain rescue, and complex hoists. To execute this sort of task safely requires decades of experience and training from every member of the crew,' NSR said. 'We wish the climber a speedy recovery.'
CTV News
01-08-2025
- CTV News
Othello Tunnels reopened, but body of 19-year-old not yet found, RCMP say
Members of Hope Search and Rescue's swiftwater team wade into the waters at the Othello Tunnels to mount a rescue operation in 2024. (Facebook/Hope Search and Rescue) The Othello Tunnels area of Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park has reopened, but efforts to find the 19-year-old man believed to have drowned there over the weekend have so far been unsuccessful. Search and rescue efforts will resume Saturday, the RCMP's Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment RCMP said in a news release Friday. 'The pools of water where the man was last seen were thoroughly searched in hopes of locating him and providing a level of closure to his family,' said Staff Sgt. Mike Sargent, in the release. 'While he has not yet been found, search efforts remain active and ongoing.' Public access will be restricted in certain areas of the park to accommodate search efforts going forward. The missing man went into the water near the Othello Tunnels shortly after 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. Police have previously said a bystander was rescued by raft after becoming stranded while trying to locate the fallen man. The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team searched the area on July 30 but was unable to find the young man's body. The following day, Hope Search and Rescue continued searching from the shoreline and using drones to fly over the river.
CTV News
28-07-2025
- CTV News
19-year-old dead after falling into fast-moving river near Hope, B.C.
Members of Hope Search and Rescue's swiftwater team wade into the waters at the Othello Tunnels to mount a rescue operation in 2024. (Facebook/Hope Search and Rescue) A 19-year-old man is dead after reportedly falling into a fast-flowing section of the Coquihalla River near Hope, B.C. First responders were called to Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park shortly after 6:15 p.m. Saturday after the man went into water near the Othello Tunnels. Mounties say a bystander was rescued by a raft after becoming stranded while trying to locate the fallen man. 'First responders searched the area using a remotely piloted aircraft system, however they were unable to locate the man,' Sgt. Vanessa Munn said in a statement Monday. 'It is believed that he is likely is trapped below the surface due to the heavy current.' An RCMP underwater recovery team assessed the scene on Sunday and will help co-ordinate a recovery operation at a later date 'due to the steep terrain and fast flowing water,' according to police. The province has closed the Othello Tunnels area to the public until further notice.
