Four youths rescued after tubing trip goes awry

Four youths are lucky to be alive after a fun weekend trip went awry.

The teens, aged 16 and 17, had gone tubing down Shell River, north of Inglis without telling anyone. They were reported missing just before midnight on Sunday. They were last heard from at around 2 p.m.

RCMP quickly located one of the youth’s vehicles at Inglis Beach and a second vehicle on Provincial Road 589 at the bridge. 

With help from the local fire department, crop planes, farmers on ATVs and a drone, Mounties were able to locate three of the teens along the river without injury. The fourth teen, a 16-year-old girl, was still missing. Eventually, the drone located a deflated pink flamingo tube, about a kilometre up the river from where the others were located.

Officers drove around the area with their sirens on, and the teen made her way out of the bush to the sound. She was suffering from minor injuries and was transported to hospital.

“This ended much better than it could have,” said Corporal Brett Church of the Prairie Mountain RCMP. “If you are heading out on the water, you need to tell someone where you are going to be and the route you plan to take. It is also important to recognize that water is unpredictable and that a floatie is not a life jacket; a floatie will not save your life if you get into trouble on the water. Please be careful out there.”

RCMP say none of the youths were wearing life jackets or personal flotation devices, and it appears that alcohol was involved.