Divers yet to find body of teen presumed drowned in southern Alberta river

Divers continue to search for the body of a teenage boy believed to have drowned in a river north of Lethbridge, Alta.

Witnesses reported the boy being swept away by the strong current.

They calledpolice around 7:20 p.m. MT on Friday to report thepossible drowning in the OldmanRivernear Alexander Wilderness Park.

The park remains closed to allow the teams to search uninterrupted. The area is popular with outdoor enthusiasts and rafters.

The dive team and water rescue unit from the fire department searched for the missing teen until dark on Friday, and continued again on Saturday and Sunday.

They do not expect to find the boy alive and instead are searching to recover his body, according to fire department Deputy Chief Dana Terry, who oversees support service.

On Saturday, Terry said the river is known to be "a bit unpredictable" because it looks calm and slow-moving, is shallow in some areas, but has deep pits in the riverbed in places.

"For people that may not be able to swim well, that is a risk and it can be somewhat deceiving," he said.

The fire department team is working with Lethbridge Police Service, which collected statements from witnesses. On Sunday morning, Terry said he hopes those statements can help direct where the team could expand the search.

So far, Terry has saidofficialsdo not know how the boy ended up in the water.

No details have been available about the teen's identity or age, although the recovery team has been trying to conduct the search as quickly as possible for his family.

"It hits home because a lot of our staff members are parents themselves," Terry previously said. "Our hearts definitely go out to the family."

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