British Columbia

Man missing after trying to retrieve volleyball from Kamloops, B.C., river

The man, a local university student, was playing volleyball at Overlander Park on Sunday night when the ball went into the Thompson River, according to Kamloops Search and Rescue. 

Man identified as international student studying at Thompson Rivers University

A river is seen cutting through a sandy beach surrounded by leafy hills.
Rescue crews are searching for a man who went missing in Kamloops on Sunday night while trying to retrieve a volleyball that went into the water. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC )

Rescue crews are continuing their search along the Thompson River in Kamloops, B.C., where police say a university student went missing Sunday night. 

The young man was playing volleyball at Overlander Park when the ball went into the water, says Paula Davis, search manager with Kamloops Search and Rescue. 

Davis says the man went to retrieve the ball in the river, where he began to struggle. 

"Friends jumped in to try to help him but they were also ... struggling as well," Davis told host Shelley Joyce on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

"The friends were able to get themselves to safety, but unfortunately the young man wasn't able to."

Two uniformed officials are seen in red kayaks, on a river. A bridge is seen behind.
Rescue crews are combing the Thompson River Monday for any signs of a man, an international student at Thompson Rivers University, who went missing while trying to retrieve a volleyball from the water on Sunday evening. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC )

Kamloops RCMP said in a statement that they were call around 5:15 p.m. to assist with a possible drowning.

Cpl. Dana Napier said that according to the report they received, the man entered the river to retrieve the ball "and got caught in the undercurrent."

"Two more men from the group who entered the water to assist were also caught in the current. Two of the initial three were saved while the third appeared to be pulled away and went under the water," she said.

A sign that says 'Danger - Swim at Your Own Risk' is seen by a walking path.
Kamloops Search and Rescue warns that the Thompson River is 'very dangerous' at this time of year due to its current. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC)

Mounties said the missing man has been identified as an international student who was attending Thompson Rivers University. 

They said investigators are working with the RCMP's Foreign Domestic Liaison Unit to contact his family, and that no further details about him will be released at this time. 

Overlander Park is located in the city's North Shore neighbourhood, right by the confluence of the North and South Thompson rivers. 


Davis says Kamloops Fire and Rescue did a sweep of the area from the park to the airport Sunday night and did not find the man. Kamloops SAR continued the search by kayak and deployed a drone, but were also unsuccessful. 

The search continued Monday morning, with Vernon Search and Rescue expected to assist, as well as RCMP Air Services.

Davis says they'll search the area where the man was last seen and continue downstream, but says poor visibility in the river could hamper their efforts.

A river is seen cutting through a sandy beach surrounded by leafy hills.
The Thompson River is seen by Overland Park beach in Kamloops, B.C. Rescue crews are searching for a man who went missing on Sunday night (July 6, 2025), after trying to retrieve a ball that went into the water. (Jenifer Norwell/CBC )

Davis also warns the river is "very dangerous this time of year" due to its currents. The only designated river swimming beach in Kamloops is Riverside Park, across the river from Overlander Park. 

"You don't want to underestimate it, that's for sure," she says. "It's really best to stay out of the water unless you're in an area that has pretty much no current." 

Davis is asking the public to stay out of the search areas while rescue crews work Monday.

"I think the biggest thing is just to give us space and let us do our job and hopefully we'll be successful today." 

With files from Jen Norwell, Daybreak Kamloops