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Three Young People Are Missing After Falling Into A B.C. Waterfall And Here's What Witnesses Say Happened

Search efforts are underway for three hikers who fell into the Shannon Falls waterfall in B.C. yesterday.

Search and Rescue teams in Squamish, B.C. are working around the clock to find three young people who went missing after tumbling into Shannon Falls. The trio was hiking with friends yesterday in the Shannon Falls Provincial Park 60 kilometres north of Vancouver. The incident happened at around noon PT, and there has been no sign of them since.

According to witnesses, a young woman was looking out from the edge of the waterfall when she lost her footing and fell into the current. Her boyfriend jumped in to rescue her, and so did another friend. Witnesses say they saw three people go over the falls, plunging 30 metres down into the water below.

Photos from @bmanphoto in #Chopper9 above Shannon Falls. Major search effort underway involving several agencies including @SquamishSAR . There are reports a person or people may have ended up in the water. An air ambulance is on standby nearby. The park is closed pic.twitter.com/ITyVfHYATV

July 3, 2018

#Squamish SAR confirms three people fell into the water from the top of Shannon Falls shortly before noon. 50+ search crews have been looking for hours but still no sign of any of them. Updates on @cbcnewsbc #cbc pic.twitter.com/0QeoaAjBNp

July 4, 2018

At least seven emergency rescue teams were dispatched to the area. Helicopters continue to soar over the park, and crews are even scaling cliffs as part of their search. RCMP dive teams are using underwater cameras to search the pools into which they fell.

Authorities are concerned, saying that the water is ice cold and could cause hypothermia. They also say that the current is "very strong" and is made up of "slick rock that has been carved over millions of years," making it extremely dangerous. 

Via Josefhanus

Shannon Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in B.C., and is a popular destination for families and tourists to visit and enjoy a picnic. All of Shannon Falls Provincial Park will remain closed as the search continues.

The RCMP say that their families have been contacted, but their names and personal information has not been released to the public.

Via Trazvan

"As of 6:00 pm tonight we have been unable to visually see anyone in the pool system," Squamish RCMP said in a statement yesterday, "The terrain is difficult, very dangerous, and the water flow is heavy which is complicating the search." 

The RCMP stated that search efforts won't stop until the three missing hikers are found.

Source: CBC