Two swimmers swept away by the high waters of the Goat River near Creston were rescued yesterday evening.
Creston RCMP, Creston Fire Rescue, Canyon-Lister Fire Rescue, and Search and Rescue teamed up to save the two swimmers.
Cst. Brett Urano says the swimmers were able to pull themselves onto a rock embankment and await rescue.
“The swimmers were eventually retrieved by fire rescue along the shoreline. BC Ambulance service provided care for the swimmers once they were out of the water and they were taken to hospital for assessment.”
Creston RCMP then asked the victim services unit to help the swimmers and their families.
RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Brandon Buliziuk said it was a good collaborative effort between teams.
“It was a great response by frontline officers, who utilized excellent communication skills to keep the parties calm prior to extraction,” said Buliziuk in a release.
“It was a great collaborative approach by all the first responder agencies.”
Urano says swimmers need to be very careful this time of year.
“Well, the rivers are very high at this time. It can be very unpredictable as to how the rivers are going. We always recommend that you use extreme caution any time you go swimming and to make sure you are doing so in a safe area.”
He says the Goat River is especially high right now and could be dangerous to swim in.
“I know the Goat River at this time is very high and very fast-moving, so it’s probably not the best place to swim right now. We encourage people to go outside and enjoy the outdoors but make sure they do it responsibly.”