Vernon doctor swept away by Thompson River in Kamloops trying to save son | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Vernon doctor swept away by Thompson River in Kamloops trying to save son

Dr. Michael Mthandazo is presumed to have drowned in the Thompson River on July 30, 2022.
Image Credit: GOFUNDME/Noha Fossen

A Vernon doctor is presumed to have drowned after he was swept away in the Thompson River late last month.

Friends of the family have started an online fundraiser in order to support Dr. Michael Mthandazo's wife and two sons on Aug. 7. Mthandazo was a family doctor in Vernon, where he lived with his family since January 2021.

"He then went for a swim with his son but the water current started to speed up and although he was able to help his son out of the water, he wasn’t able to get out himself," the online fundraiser started by Noha Fossen reads.

He was swimming at McArthur Island Park around 5:30 p.m., July 30, when the river took him away.

A passerby attempted to help, but they could not reach him, and several boaters couldn't find him.

His wife and two sons will need "a lot of support from the community" as he was the sole earner of the family, according to the fundraiser.

The search for his body continues.

The fundraiser can be found here.


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