RCMP halt search for missing swimmer in Squamish, B.C.

Police and search-and-rescue officials are appealing for public information after they suspended a search for a swimmer on Monday, 24 hours after she went missing in Squamish, B.C.

Squamish RCMP said in a statement Monday afternoon that they were first called to the Mamquam River around 4 p.m. PT on Sunday.

A woman in her 30s was caught in the currents just west of the Powerhouse Bridge, according to police.

They say she was with friends when she went into the river, and moments later, she yelled for help. Her friends told police the woman was swept down the river.

Cindy Welsh, the manager of Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR), said kayaks, helicopters and drones were used to search for the woman until 11 p.m. Sunday night, with the search resuming Monday morning.

However, the police statement says the search was complicated by "deep ravines with canyons and difficult terrain."

A day after the swimmer went missing, Squamish SAR and RCMP said they had halted the search due to the difficult terrain and heavy currents.

They said they had communicated with the woman's family, who requested privacy.

"We ask if anyone, who is in the area [and] sees anything in the river or along the riverbanks, or has any additional information to contact the RCMP immediately," Sgt. Dallas Langley said in the statement.