![Kamloops Fire Rescue says response was quick to Saturday's boating accident](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1605/files/2020/08/boating-accident-aug-8.png)
Kamloops Fire Rescue says its response to a boating accident on the South Thompson River on Saturday couldn’t of been much faster.
Platoon captain Mike Haines says the department’s rescue boat was already out monitoring on the river with bylaw and RCMP, because of the “Float the River” event.
“Normally what we do is if we get a boat call, our Station Three crew in Valleyview responds. And they have to go down, unhook the boat and get out on the water. So there is usually a bit of a delay before we’re able to respond. But that day, we did have the boat on the water with crews in it,” Haines says.
Police say two people were taken to hospital in the crash between two boats, after a jet boat hit a ski boat from behind in an area east of Pioneer Park. Both boats involved have now been seized for further investigation, and police have also ruled out alcohol as being a potential cause.
Two people were taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries, and BC Ambulance treated three other people at the scene.
Kamloops RCMP also say that according to witnesses, it’s “remarkable” no one was killed or seriously injured.
Haines says it’s important for boaters not to follow other boats too closely, to always have spotters and always be aware of their surroundings.
Meantime, Haines also says it’s his understanding that the Float the River event did not materialize the way it was first anticipated. It had more than 1,000 people “interested” in going on the event page on Facebook. The event was discouraged by local elected officials and by Interior Health.