Vehicle and Driver Located in Okanagan Lake

Vehicle and Driver Located in Okanagan Lake Following April 1 Westside Road Slide

Kelowna, B.C. April 14th, 2025: After nearly two weeks of intensive searching, the vehicle and driver believed to have been swept into Okanagan Lake by the massive April 1 mudslide have been located in 155 feet of water.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) confirmed the discovery in a Facebook update last weekend that after over 1,000 volunteer hours, six operational periods, and the use of specialized equipment, the submerged vehicle was found along the lakebed below the slide area.

Vehicle and Driver Located in Okanagan Lake

The incident occurred April 1 when a mudslide estimated to have carried more than 20,000 tons of debris surged across Westside Road and into the lake.

Initially, COSAR was deployed to check on a previously occupied camp in the area, but a few days later, a missing person report linked to the slide prompted a full-scale search operation.

Search crews employed every available resource—drones, ground crews, boats, and K9 teams—to scan challenging terrain both on land and underwater. A major breakthrough came when K9 Barrett, working from COSAR’s boat Sweatman, gave a strong indication in a specific section of the lake believed to hold the debris field.

Despite technical issues with one of the province’s only three Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), the marine team succeeded in locating submerged debris consistent with a vehicle.

On April 12, divers confirmed the presence of the missing vehicle and its driver.

RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team is now tasked with retrieving both from the lake.

Earlier searches had turned up scattered items in the area—such as propane tanks and a hot tub cover—believed to have come from the vehicle. Sonar maps of the lakebed show a steep drop-off near the shore, with depths exceeding 700 feet in some locations. The vehicle was ultimately found approximately 155 feet down, consistent with the steep underwater topography and rocky terrain that made the search so challenging.

Images from the site were released by Central Okanagan Search and Rescue.

“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” COSAR said in their post, thanking Vernon Search and Rescue, AIM Road Maintenance, Chute Creek Construction, the Regional District, and the RCMP for their help and support throughout the operation.

Vehicle and Driver Located in Okanagan Lake