The coroner has confirmed one death of a person who apparently got swept into the Capilano River this afternoon.
The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating.
The death on the river was reported after three other successful rope rescues from the Capilano this afternoon, following a sudden release of water from the Cleveland Dam, during maintenance work on the spillway gate.
Police are expected to release more information about what happened on the river shortly.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue crews performed rope rescues to pull three people to safety earlier this afternoon.
In at least one other case, witnesses saw two people – a man and woman – get swept downstream.
In that case the pair managed to make it to the safety of a small island in the river and were pulled to safety by a rope rescue team.
Other people who were at the Capilano River described how a wall of water suddenly thundered down the river without warning.
Video from the Cleveland Dam malfunction today in North Vancouver @GlobalBC @CTVVancouver @CBCVancouver I was walking my dogs there just before 2pm pic.twitter.com/Edsf6wqmWB
— Christine Tam (@christinetam) October 2, 2020
Keifer Baker was fishing on the river near the bridge with two family members when he heard a noise that sounded like thunder.
“We just heard rumbling. It sounded like thunder,” he said.
“Suddenly white water was mixed with what looked like chocolate milk coming down the river. It looked like half a football field of water coming down the river,” he said.
Baker said his group had less than a minute to run up the bank to safety.
“It all happened so quick,” he said.
Baker said he’s been coming to the river since he was six and has never seen anything like that.
A spokesman for Metro Vancouver, which operates the Cleveland Dam, confirmed there was an unintended release of water.
“Today the spillway gate at the Cleveland Dam released a large volume of water into the Capilano River, while we were doing maintenance,” said Jerry Dobrovolny.
Dobrovolny said Metro Vancouver is now doing a full investigation into what happened.
Dobrovolny said there was no issue or problem with the dam itself.
Members of North Shore Rescue were called out to assist firefighters late this afternoon to search to see if anyone else had been swept into the river and was unaccounted for.
Team members flew over the river in a helicopter and a swift water kayak team also did a sweep of the Capilano, said team leader Mike Danks.
Speaking to the media Thursday evening, Sgt. Peter Devries, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP, said police had not yet been able to notify the family of the person who died in the river.
"That's an additional concern for us and and we know that this will be a really difficult time for this person's family and friends and loved ones, and our hearts really do go out to them," he said.
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