Othello Tunnels reopened, but body of 19-year-old not yet found, RCMP say

Members of Hope Search and Rescue's swiftwater team wade into the waters at the Othello Tunnels to mount a rescue operation in 2024. (Facebook/Hope Search and Rescue)

The Othello Tunnels area of Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park has reopened, but efforts to find the 19-year-old man believed to have drowned there over the weekend have so far been unsuccessful.

Search and rescue efforts will resume Saturday, the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment RCMP said in a news release Friday.

“The pools of water where the man was last seen were thoroughly searched in hopes of locating him and providing a level of closure to his family,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Sargent, in the release.

“While he has not yet been found, search efforts remain active and ongoing.”

Public access will be restricted in certain areas of the park to accommodate search efforts going forward.

The missing man went into the water near the Othello Tunnels shortly after 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 26.

Police have previously said a bystander was rescued by raft after becoming stranded while trying to locate the fallen man.

The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team searched the area on July 30 but was unable to find the young man’s body.

The following day, Hope Search and Rescue continued searching from the shoreline and using drones to fly over the river.