Image Credit: Vernon SAR
January 05, 2015 - 12:44 PM
VERNON - Members of Vernon Search and Rescue spent a long night in severe weather conditions searching for a group of missing snowmobilers.
A team of 16 rescuers headed out at 5 p.m. Sunday after a report of three missing snowmobilers in the Park Nelson area, east of Lumby.
“Once base camp was set up, four of the members headed out on snowmobiles in horrendous conditions to search for the missing males,” search manager Leigh Pearson said.
Members had to break through three feet of fresh powder snow to get into the area where the lost party was located. Luckily, members had cell contact with the missing men, who had GPS and provided coordinates to SAR Command.
Once in the area, the snowmobile teams smelled smoke from a fire built by the lost snowmobilers and found them.
The men were cold and tired; not only were they lost but they also got their snowmobiles stuck several times.
The search team was back at Vernon SAR headquarters by 2:30 a.m.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015