Multiple people missing in Okanagan lakes after wind storm

Crews are frantically searching a pair of Okanagan lakes for two missing men who ran into trouble during Monday night’s surprise wind storm.

According to police, a kayaker went missing on Kalamalka Lake, while a man is still unaccounted for after a commercial fishing vessel capsized on Okanagan Lake.

The first report was for the kayaker and it came into police around 11 pm.

The RCMP says the man was with a group of kayakers who were on Kalamalka Lake when the storm blew in. Despite the rough conditions, they were able to land on the west side of the lake.

However, the now-missing man left the group in an attempt to paddle back across the lake to Kalamalka Beach. His kayak has since been recovered, but that man has not been seen since.

“Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) responded and conducted an initial search for the man, who was not found,” explained the RCMP.

Only minutes later, police were notified at 11:15 pm that a man was missing after a commercial fishing boat capsized on Okanagan Lake near Ellison Provincial Park.

“The boat was engaged in fishing activities and towing a smaller vessel when it encountered high waves and strong winds brought on by an overnight storm, causing the vessel to overturn,” police said.

Unfortunately, the captain of the vessel did not resurface and an initial search of the area by VSAR did not locate the missing man.

“Concurrent searches have been organized and are underway on both Kalamalka Lake and Okanagan Lake, utilizing both VSAR and RCMP resources,” said Cst. Chris Terleski.

“These are both terribly unfortunate events and our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time as we continue our search for their loved ones.”

No further information is available at this time. NowMedia will update this story as it develops.