Skip to content

Boy gets safety reminders after channel scare

Police had received a report of a young boy jumping into the channel and not resurfacing
7941510_web1_170726-PWN-Rescue
Penticton Fire Department’s water rescue craft clears the scene of a channel rescue last week. Photo courtesy Skylar Noe-Vack

A 10-year-old boy got a reminder of the dangers of swimming unsupervised in the channel from RCMP after a report of a boy jumping in and not resurfacing.

Emergency crews reportedly scoured the area for a couple of hours after a woman reported seeing the boy jump into the channel near the skatepark and didn’t see him resurface at around 6:50 p.m. on Friday.

After some time, police found the boy safe with some friends. The boy told police he had just gone for a swim.

Cpl. Don Wrigglewsorth said officers lectured the boy on the dangers of swimming unsupervised in the channel.

The channel has been host to a few close calls this year, including some floaters getting caught up on bridge stanchions and one young man who fell into the channel.

That all has followed a death early on in the summer, when a 20-year-old man drowned after his and some friends’ rafts got caught up on a bridge support.

Police have reminded floaters not to tie up their rafts after that incident.