Okanagan search teams rescue 4 hikers after man fell through snow bridge, became hypothermic

Search and rescue crews were called to help hikers in Okanagan Mountain Park on March 26, 2022. (Central Okanagan Search and Rescue/Facebook)

Search and rescue teams had a busy weekend in B.C.'s Okanagan with calls to assist missing people and hikers, including one who became hypothermic.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue said it was called at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday to help four hikers in Okanagan Mountain Park. Crews said the men hiked from Naramata and, near the summit, one fell through a snow bridge into a creek below.

That hiker became hypothermic while the group was trying to finish their hike to a cabin at Divide Lake, so they called search and rescue for help.

"Despite their accident, they did a lot of things correctly," said search manager Duane Tresnich in a social media post about the rescue.

"They hiked until they got cell coverage and called for help. We were able to stage a helicopter from Bertram Creek Park and send a team to get them. If they had waited until dark, a ground team would have taken much longer."

That wasn't the team's first call of the day, however. Two hours earlier, COSAR was called to help Penticton Search and Rescue look for a man missing in the Summerland area. Eight members and a dog team went to help about a dozen other volunteers look for the man. CTV News Vancouver has reached out to the search and rescue teams for an update on that task.

Those heading outdoors in B.C. are reminded to carry the 10 essentials, including a personal locator beacon, in case there isn't cell coverage where they're going. A list of those essentials is available online.