RCMP say third body found in Squamish, B.C., boat tragedy

SQUAMISH — Three people have died after a boat overturned in the swollen Squamish River north of Vancouver, after days of heavy rain and flooding in the region.

Insp. Robert Dykstra, the officer in charge of the Sea to Sky RCMP, said there were about eight people on the boat Thursday but he’s not sure why they were on the water or what caused the boat to overturn.

“I do believe that they ran into something. That’s all I really know at this point,” he told reporters on Friday.

The tragedy comes after southwest British Columbia was drenched by a series of storms that brought more than 300 millimetres of rain to some areas this week.

The Sea to Sky corridor was among the areas hardest hit.

Dykstra said police got the call around 1:50 p.m. on Thursday but that it took time for responders to gain access due to the road being washed out and the state of the river.

Police initially said two people had died and a third was missing, but by Friday afternoon the third body had been found.

What appeared to be three bodies in white bags were unloaded from a helicopter at the airport in Squamish around 1:30 p.m.

Police have not released any details about the victims but say no one remains unaccounted for.

Dykstra called the situation “tragic.”

“You never know exactly why people are doing what they’re doing sometimes. There could be any number of reasons,” he said.

“But when it comes to these major weather events, the best thing for people to do is to stay home and shelter in place and stay safe. Especially when you’re around rapidly moving water.”

All of the rainfall warnings that blanketed the region over the past week were lifted by Friday afternoon, but as weather conditions eased, some effects of the deluge were still being felt.

The entire village of Pemberton, about 90 kilometres north of Squamish, is still under an evacuation alert, with parts of the community under an evacuation order. Evacuation orders that were imposed by the Lil’wat First Nation and in Zeballos this week also remain in place.

But a shelter-in-place advisory issued Thursday for some residents about 16 kilometres north of Squamish was lifted Friday. Residents were still advised not to drive across flooded roads, and RCMP told residents to stay out of flood zones.

BC Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 2:48 p.m. on Thursday about the incident near the 15900 block of Squamish Valley Road. It said no one was taken to hospital.

At the local airport in Squamish on Friday, a white pickup truck pulled an RCMP boat around the parking lot as members gathered inside, while rescue crews were later seen carrying two board stretchers.

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.

At an unrelated event on Friday, B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson called the situation “very serious” and said he intended to visit the area.

“It’s pretty serious in our province right now. So (my) heart goes out to those families that are dealing with the losses. Of course the communities as well. These are small communities and everybody is going to feel the pain in those communities,” he said.

Wilson Williams, chairperson of the Squamish Nation, said at the same event that he was “calling upon Mother Nature” to protect those in areas dealing with the hazardous weather.

The province’s River Forecast Centre downgraded warnings it had issued for the south coast to a high streamflow advisory and ended flood watches for Fraser Valley north, the central coast and east Vancouver Island.

Meanwhile, residents of coastal areas of southwest B.C. were 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 by noon Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press