BC

Photo: RCMP

The 60-year-old wreckage of a Second World War-era bomber in the mountains above Metro Vancouver prompted a search by RCMP for human remains.

Mounties in Pitt Meadows, BC, received a call about human remains found at the site of a 1953 crash.

Inspector David Fleugel says, "We received information from a group of ‘extreme’ hikers who posted a video on YouTube that suggested some human remains were missed in the original recovery and these were still at the site. With the area being so remote, it took a lot of planning and preparation. We are quite satisfied that the complaint we received was incorrect." 

On Sept. 14, officers, along with a forensic identification specialist and a dog unit, flew into the area and hiked to the remote location to search.

Const. Alanna Dunlop says no human remains were found.

The Mitchell B-25 went down near Pitt Lake in January 1953 during a training flight.

The lead investigator, Constable Mathew Condon says, "Attending the scene of the crash was obviously a somber experience, considering that five Airmen lost their lives at the location. However, we had to make the attempt in order to ensure that none of their remains were still at scene. Thankfully, the report proved false."

Recovery teams, in 1953, found the site was so remote and the route so treacherous that they had to wait until the following September to recover the bodies.