Swimmer missing after being swept away in river on Vancouver Island

An RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference in St. John's, N.L., on Saturday, June 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

PORT ALBERNI — Police on Vancouver Island say a female swimmer is missing after reportedly being swept away by currents in a local river.

RCMP in Port Alberni say the swimmer was reported missing Sunday at Stamp River Provincial Park, about 200 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

Mounties, along with members of the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad and the Arrowsmith Search and Rescue, were on the water Monday looking for swimmer.

The park remains open to the public.

Police say the section of trail nearest the falls remained closed to allow search crews to conduct their operations.

It is the latest water-related accident in B-C since late June, including six people believed drown when a boat they were on sank off Richmond, a U.S.-based kayaker drowning in Okanagan Lake, while another man was presumed dead after being swept away on the Columbia River near Castlegar.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2026.