CALGARY -- A 34-year-old Calgary woman is dead and a 29-year-old Calgary man was transported to a Calgary-area hospital after a drowning in Kootenay National Park near the Alberta-B.C. boundary Sunday evening.
According to RCMP, a couple from Calgary had been visiting Marble Canyon when the woman lost her footing while being photographed. She slipped and was swept away by the river's current. A man attempted to rescue the woman and was also swept away.
The woman was pulled from the river approximately a kilometre downstream by a group of bystanders that included a medical professional.
"Despite their best efforts, the 34-year-old Calgary woman was pronounced deceased at the scene," said Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey, B.C. RCMP Southeast District spokesperson, in a statement released Monday.
Parks Canada visitor safety crew members retrieved the man from the canyon using a high angle rope rescue. A STARS Air Ambulance crew transported the injured man to the Foothills Medical Centre in stable condition.
The identity of the deceased has not been released.
The B.C. Coroners Service and Columbia Valley RCMP continue to investigate the drowning.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Columbia Valley RCMP at 250-342-9292.
