Over 30 Search and Rescue members across multiple teams rescued one person in the Cottonwood Victoria Creek yesterday.
Quesnel Search and Rescue says a hiker did not return to a designated meet-up location with their group on Saturday, Oct. 3; the group then requested assistance from Search and Rescue and RCMP the following day, Sunday, Oct. 4.
Search and Rescue says RCMP conducted the initial air search but was unable to find the hiker before nightfall. A drone team also used thermal imaging to try and find the missing person.
A search and rescue team found the missing hiker on foot in a creek bed near their last known location around midnight on Sunday.
The team stayed with the hiker overnight, and teams airlifted them safely with long lines from a helicopter on Monday morning.
Quesnel Search and Rescue expects the hiker to make a recovery.
Prince George Search and Rescue and Central Cariboo Search and Rescue assisted with the rescue and recovery.
Dave Merritt with PG SAR stated calls like these will be more challenging with daylight starting to become an issue.
“Working mutual aid in northern B.C. is how we function in how we do searches as they ramp up. We call our neighbouring SAR teams in which we all support each other and we look for lost and missing people – it was our second call on Sunday as we attended to a missing gentleman in Salmon Valley that ended at 11:30 at night.”
Merritt added crew members kept the man company overnight until a pair of helicopters came Monday morning to assist and drop him off to BC Emergency Health Services.
“We put five of our members with Quesnel Search and Rescue to comfort him for the evening. We called in a long-line rescue (helicopter along with Yellowhead Helicopters) to get him out of the bush versus what was a three or four kilometre hike in a very dense and willowy bush in a creek bottom.”
“Night is longer, it’s cooler and we have already had minus temperatures at night. We want to remind people that winter is coming.”
WATCH:
– story done by Teryn Midzain, My Cariboo Now staff
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