Divers search for body of teen swept away in 'unpredictable' southern Alberta river

Divers are searching for the body of a teenageboy who was reportedly swept away by the current ofa southern Alberta river near Lethbridge.

A witness called police around 7:20 p.m. MT on Friday to report a possible drowning in the OldmanRivernear Alexander Wilderness Park, officials say.

A dive team and water rescue unit from the fire department searched for the missing teen until dark, said Deputy Chief Dana Terry, who oversees support service.

The fire department resumed their search Saturdaywith help from Lethbridge Police Service, but stillhave not found him.

Teams are now trying to recover his body, rather than to rescue him.

'Hits home'

Police have said they believe theteen was dragged by the force of Oldman Rivernorth ofLethbridge.

"Even though it looks calm and fairly slow-moving, it is a bit unpredictable because there are holes in the river, there are deep spots in the river that people don't realize," Terry said.

"For people that may not be able to swim well, that is a risk and it can be somewhat deceiving."

He said officialsdo not know how the boy ended up in the water. Terry said he does not have further details to release on the situation, including the teen's identity or age, except to say they are trying to finishthe search as quickly as possible.

"It's always difficult when you're dealing with [cases], especially with children and with young people. It hits home because a lot of our staff members are parents themselves," Terry said.

"Our hearts definitely go out to the family. This is an incredibly difficult time for them and we can only imagine what they're going through."

Members of public are asked to stay out of the area to allow the search to continue uninterrupted.

Terry also said that although it's not clear what caused this suspected drowning, he'd like to remind people to wear their life jackets.

With the warm weather, he said his department is seeing many on the water without lifesaving gear.

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