A search is underway in Saskatoon after a person was reported in the South Saskatchewan River near Spadina Crescent and Ravine Drive on Friday. Saskatoon fire crews responded to the scene at around 11:50 a.m. after receiving a report of a person and a dog in the water. Fire crews launched two boats from the 33rd Street boat launch and searched both the river and shoreline near the person’s last known location on the east riverbank. Dive operations were also launched, according to the city’s fire department. Drone teams from the Saskatoon Police Service and Corman Park Police Service assisted with the search from the air. A fire department diver searched the area for about 60 minutes but was unable to locate the person. Fire Chief Doug Wegren said crews were then shifting to sonar equipment to expand the search area. He said crews will conduct sonar scans in a grid pattern to identify anything unusual beneath the water’s surface. “So next steps is we will conduct conducted sonar and we will work on a grid pattern to locate anomalies under the water. And then we’ll bring our dive teams in to search those specific anomalies,” he said. While officials have not ruled out the possibility of finding the individual alive, Wegren acknowledged the operation is increasingly becoming a recovery effort. “We’re hopeful it’s a rescue but it would be a recovery,” he said. Initial reports indicated a dog had safely made its way out of the water. However, the fire department later said no dog had been located. The Saskatoon Police Service says it’s investigating the incident and asks anyone with information to come forward. With files from Stacey Hein
