Washout traps campers

Photo: Contributed - COSAR Twitter

The Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) team was called to help five campers who were trapped after a road was washed out.

The campers were at Browne Lake Provincial Park when a culvert in the road somehow became blocked. Water had eroded and washed away the soil around it, making the road impassible for any heavy vehicles. 

The trapped campers called the RCMP, who in turn called the Emergency Coordination Center in Kamloops, and they dispatched COSAR.

COSAR responded with 11 members, two trucks, four ATV’s and one motorcycle.  After making their way around the washout, COSAR made contact with the five people and found they were alright and prepared to stay several days in the campground, with plenty of food and water. 

COSAR says a repair crew will fix the road on Friday; it's expected to take several hours.

The search and rescue team would like to remind the public that these types of situations can occur in the backcountry at any time and these campers made the correct decision to contact the RCMP, which in turn started the process to ensure their safety.