Body of missing Nfld. man found near Agassiz, B.C.

On Friday afternoon, two fishermen on the Harrison River found the body of Christopher Hannaford,a Newfoundland man who went missing the week before.

A police press release issuedby Cst. Tracy Wolbeck out of Agassiz, B.C.,stated that the body was discovered "a short distance from where police suspected he entered the water."

"The location of the body was only accessible by boat and took several hours for police and Search and Rescue to retrieve the body and bring him to shore," Wolbeck said.

Hannaford, 27, was originally from the Goulds area of St. John's and had been living in Surrey, B.C., for several years. He went missing from the Harrison Lake area while on a camping trip.

A large-scale search for Hannaford had been on goingsince his disappearance a week before, at 11:30 p.m. on Sept 3.

Hannaford's brother had arrived from Newfoundlandon Thursday and was able to assist police in making a positive identification on Friday.

"Although this is a very sad ending to a long and involved search, Chris's family now has the closure they need to move on," Wolbeck said.

Police stated previously that foul play was not suspected in Hannaford's disappearance. On Saturday, police stated that a cause of death will not be released untila coroner conducts an examination.