Bhutanese refugee found death in oldman river

Emergency crews have located the body of a missing 15-year-old boy in Lethbridge. The boy, and a group of his friends, were seen jumping from a low girder of the High Level bridge into the Oldman river at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday night. "Fire and EMS received a phone call that a male had jumped into the river and had failed to surface," says Saska Van Hala of the Lethbridge Regional Police Service. "Fire, EMS and Police responded to the east side of the river valley." Police blocked off walking trails as rescue teams scanned the river banks. Crews continued their search of the area until they were forced to stop due to darkness. Search efforts resumed Sunday morning, and the body was found. Barry Sorensen of Lethbridge Fire and EMS hopes this tragedy will remind the public of the importance of river safety. "We'd like to remind people that jumping off the High Level bridge is very dangerous," says Sorensen. "There's lots of wood and logs in the river, and it's not very deep. It's pretty dangerous." The identity of the teen has not been released. The cause of death is expected to be determined this week.

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