RCMP say two people are dead and one person is missing after a boating tragedy in the Squamish Valley north of Vancouver, where a river is swollen by floodwaters and days of heavy rain. Police said in a statement Friday that all others involved in the incident that happened on Thursday around 2 p.m. have been accounted for. Cpl. Ashley MacKay with Squamish RCMP said search, rescue and recovery operations were continuing in the “time-sensitive and complex response.” “The weather and river conditions have played a significant role in the response efforts,” MacKay said in a statement. “This is a very dynamic and evolving incident, and the safety of responders and the public remains paramount.” MacKay said the search, about 90 kilometres north of Vancouver, had been challenging due to elevated water levels and weather conditions. Squamish RCMP said the search involved Squamish Search and Rescue, RCMP Air Services, the Lower Mainland District Integrated Emergency Response Team, the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team, and West Coast Marine Services. “Weather patterns, water levels, and river conditions can change rapidly, and those factors are being continuously assessed as search and recovery efforts continue,” MacKay said. “We are asking the public to stay off the water at this time due to dangerous flow rates and debris throughout the river systems.” Some residents about 16 kilometres north of Squamish have been sheltering in place after flooding triggered by a parade of drenching storms that has brought more than 300 millimetres of rain to parts of southwest B.C. this week The village of Pemberton, about 90 kilometres north of Squamish, is still under an evacuation alert, with parts of the community under evacuation order. Evacuation orders were also imposed by the Lil’wat First Nation and in Zeballos this week. Search and rescue teams gathered at the local airport in Squamish on Friday. A white pickup truck pulled an RCMP boat around the parking lot as members gathered inside, and a rescue team member could be heard discussing the deployment of drones in the search. BC Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 2:48 p.m. about the incident near the 15900 block of Squamish Valley Road. It said no one was taken to hospital. Legislator Jeremy Valeriote, who represents West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said he was “devastated” and his thoughts were with the families of the victims. Valeriote, who was re-elected as the community’s Green legislator last month, said the Sea to Sky region “is a strong and resilient community, but no one should have to navigate this alone.” “My team and I are here to support residents however we can as the community begins the difficult process of recovery,” he said. Deluged residents of coastal areas of southwest B.C. were meanwhile facing a new flooding risk, even as rains eased, with warnings of a storm surge that could raise sea levels. Environment Canada said the surge could hit low-lying and exposed coastal areas of Metro Vancouver, southeast Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. It said elevated water levels surpassing tidal predictions were being driven by high winds and “enhanced wave activity,” and were expected to peak from 10 a.m. to noon Friday. Most of the rainfall warnings that had blanketed the region were lifted on Thursday, though three yellow warnings remained in place for western, north and inland Vancouver Island. Those warnings said heavy rain was expected into late Friday afternoon, with the highest rainfall expected near Zeballos and Tahsis in northwest Vancouver Island. This report by Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press, was first published Nov. 13, 2026.
