FILE PHOTO

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS -  More than a dozen people are drying off after being spilled into Kamloops Lake this evening when their boat capsized.

Kamloops RCMP, Kamloops Fire Rescue and Kamloops Search and Rescue were all called to the scene after a boat capsized in Kamloops Lake, July 14. The fire rescue boat was able to arrive first and helped the boaters get to shore, RCMP Staff Sgt. Michel Grondin says.

“We had a report of a capsized boat on the east end of Kamloops Lake with several people in the water,” he says. “We had our helicopter attending the scene to assist in locating anyone in the water.”

Around 8:15 p.m. police received a report about a 21-foot pleasure boat swamped by large waves caused by high winds in an area of the lake called Cooney Bay, forcing 13 passengers into the water, including eight children between the ages of 12 and 15, according to a Kamloops RCMP press release. Nine passengers made it to shore themselves, and the fire rescue boat pulled four people from the water. Everyone was located by 9:10 p.m.

All 13 people were from out of province, visiting the region for summer holidays. They were taken to Royal Inland Hospital as a precaution, the release states.

The police boat and search and rescue team were called off before they arrived at the scene because everyone was accounted for and safe, Grondin says.

“Kamloops Fire Rescue beat us out to them so we stayed dry,” search manager Alan Hobler says.

After the lake rescue, the police helicopter was called to a second boat in Thompson River. Though there was initially a distress call, the boater later indicated they were ok, Grondin says, but police were double checking. He’s warning boaters to be aware of the weather conditions before heading out on the water, after today's storm warnings and windy evening.

– This story was updated at 8:03 a.m., July 15, 2016, to correct how many people were in the water and update with information from a police press release.

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