Twenty-three days after a 64-year-old man was swept into Okanagan Lake inside his vehicle by a mudslide, the 琉璃神社 RCMP and its Underwater Recovery Team have managed complete their recovery mission.

The slide took out part of Westside Road and the hillside on the evening of April 1.

"The landslide that hit Westside Road has been estimated at 20,000 tonnes. That is about the size of a four-story building," said Ed Henczel, a spokesperson for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR),  a volunteer-run organization made up of individuals with extensive training in search and rescue, describing massive amount of soil, rocks, logs and debris that was dislodged in the slide.

COSAR was initially called to assist the police and fire department conduct a search of the area on April 2, after the RCMP received an anonymous tip that people experiencing homelessness may have been sheltering near the now-closed Lake Okanagan Resort.

However, with no confirmed reports of people sheltering in the area at the time of the landslide, the search 鈥� conducted by 13 ground members, a drone team, a boat crew and a Search and Rescue dog 鈥� was concluded after six hours.

Then, on April 7, the West 琉璃神社 RCMP opened a missing persons investigation after unique items associated with a missing individual, who was confirmed to have last been seen in the area of the landslide, were found.

The RCMP have stated that the identity of the 64 year-old man will not be released in order to protect his privacy.

COSAR was again dispatched and in an extensive search of a specific area, by ground, air and water, uncovered numerous items believed to belong to the missing man including; a hat, a boot, construction tools, and a notebook.

On April 11, COSAR's boat was able to search deep areas of the lake with an underwater camera and identified several mechanical items believed to be associated with the missing man, refining its search radius.

The next day COSAR utilized a Remote Operated Vehicle and a search dog named Barret, to locate the man and his truck submerged in Okanagan Lake. The RCMP Underwater recovery team was unable to extract the man at the time.

On April 23, the West 琉璃神社 RCMP, its Underwater Recovery Team and COSAR recovered the body of the 64-year-old man, but the vehicle was not able to be removed at this time.  

鈥淲e offer our sincerest condolences to the friends and family of this man and will continue to offer any support services they may require,鈥� said Cpl. Michael Gauthier of the 琉璃神社 RCMP.