BC rescuers search for missing man’s body in river

The search for a missing man believed to have disappeared in the fast-moving waters of the Coquitlam River on Sunday is ongoing but is currently being treated as a rescue mission.

Robert Belding, 59, was last seen walking his brother’s dog near Pipeline Road and Gallete Boulevard along the atmospheric river that brought record rainfall to Coquitlam and claimed the lives of three more people on the South Shore.

Authorities say the man is believed to have entered the river in an attempt to save the dog, which was later found soaked but uninjured.

On Friday, swift-water rescue experts will join the search in hopes of locating Belding.

“Hopefully they will walk or swim the entire length of the river where Mr. Belding is believed to have entered the water all the way to where it joins the Fraser,” Coquitlam Search spokesman Ian MacDonald said. and Recovery.

According to MacDonald, water levels are expected to continue dropping between today and Friday evening due to reduced flow from the Coquitlam Dam into the river.

He believes Friday will likely offer the best possible conditions to locate Belding’s body, which may have been trapped in debris or a log jam below the surface.

“At this point, unfortunately, this is a rescue mission and that’s how we’re approaching it,” MacDonald said. “No matter what, we want to return Mr. Belding to his family.”

Coquitlam volunteers will be joined by swift water experts from local fire departments as well as SAR teams in the lower mainland.

There is an urgency to dredge as much of the river as possible because after the rain returns over the weekend, it is unclear when searchers will have another opportunity to safely enter the water.