Parks Canada has scaled back searches for the body of a 19-year-old man who was swept over Twin Falls, a 100-metre waterfall in Yoho National Park.
Tania Peters, a spokesperson for Parks Canada, said the Calgary man was hiking with three other people, including family members, when he fell from the top of the falls.
“Nobody actually saw him fall. They don’t know if tripped, slipped. He was there and then not there, but they know that happened,” she said.
“It’s a very sad situation and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Parks has withdrawn ground teams and will focus on aerial searches.
About 1:30 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 13), the Golden-Field RCMP was advised that an emergency SPOT beacon had been activated near Takkakaw Falls east of Field, B.C.
Parks began an air and ground search for the man Sunday, but had to shut down by nightfall. Despite heavy rain and snow, the search continued for the man in the following days.
There were 12 people on the ground searching.
Peters said there is an extensive area to cover, noting there are whirlpools within the falls and a large scree slope below. The search also includes Twin Falls Creek, which eventually flows into Yoho River.
“The terrain is very complex,” she said.
