Update: Man still missing on Okanagan Lake

The search is continuing for the captain of a fishing boat that overturned on Okanagan Lake on Monday night.

On Monday, July 24th, 2023 around 11:15 p.m, police received a report that a commercial fishing boat had capsized on Okanagan Lake near Ellison Provincial Park. The vessel capsized during a large storm and the operator did not surface. Searches of Okanagan Lake conducted by RCMP resources and Vernon Search and Rescue personnel have been unsuccessful and the man remains unaccounted for.  Several agencies are now working together to determine the best and safest course of action to recover the partially submerged vessel. The police investigation has reached a point where criminality is not suspected and police will no longer be directly involved in the recovery of the vessel. Vernon Search and Rescue resources will be on the lake at various times over the next several days, assisting in the search for the missing person.

This has transitioned solely to a missing person investigation and will continue until the person is located, states Constable Chris Terleski, Media Relations Officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. Sadly, we haven’t found any indication that the victim survived the incident but this cannot be confirmed until he has been located. We’ll continue to offer our full support to the family as they navigate the anguish and uncertainty of this unfortunate tragedy.