The family of a missing Korean teenager is on their way to B.C. after the teen was swept away in fast-flowing rapids near a remote camp on the Sunshine Coast.
Hanwoo Lee, a 19-year-old South Korean citizen who was attending Challis Junior-Senior High School in Idaho, disappeared Wednesday while on a school retreat.
It happened in the waters of Malibu Rapids, located in Princess Louisa Inlet northeast of Powell River.
Coast Guard vessels, private boats and a Royal Canadian Air Force plane were all deployed in the search effort, according to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
The boats spent hours combing Jervis and Princessa Louisa Inlets from the air and water but the search was called off at dusk.
"The area is challenging both because it is so remote but also because of its proximity to the Malibu rapids, which is an area known for its strong tidal flows," Harrison Mohr of Sunshine Coast RCMP told CTV Vancouver.
Lee's school group was attending a Christian youth camp called Malibu camp, run by Young Life Mission. The grounds are surrounded by mountains and only accessible by boat or plane.
Officials with Young Life Mission tell CTV Vancouver that he somehow entered fast-moving waters near the camp and went missing.
Camp officials are calling the incident a "tragic accident."
The teen's parents are on their way to Vancouver from Seoul, and will then travel to the remote camp.
The RCMP's West Coast Marine Services is expected to search the waters Thursday.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Penny Daflos
