Harrison Lake, BC (CKNW) – An American family is en route to B.C. to bring home the remains of their loved one, who drowned in Harrison Lake.
He was missing for 44 days, until an Idaho couple with special sonar equipment came to the rescue.
Jiyan Ahmed is travelling from Nashville, after her 27-year-old brother Nashwan Ahmed was finally found in Harrison Lake. “It is bittersweet, but it is our reality.”
“Once we learned now cold that water was, and reality started to sink in, it was very difficult, it’s hard to believe that you have lost a family member.”
He jumped off a boat for a swim in early August, and disappeared.
After local authorities called off their search, Jiyan contacted Jene and Sandy Ralston.
The Idaho couple runs Ralston Underwater Search Recovery Society.
They travel North America searching for drowning victims with their special equipment and they only ask for travel and accommodation costs to be covered.
Jiyan says she can’t thank them enough for locating her brother, in a matter of days.“For lack of better terms, I think the best word is bittersweet, mostly bitter, but we will be glad to have him home, because now it’s reality, we can have him closer to home, and bury him at home, and actually locate him on a map.”
He was the fourth person to drown in the glacier-fed lake since June.
Family members of other victims pushed for signs warning of the lake’s dangerously cold temperatures.
The mayor agreed to the signs, but no word on when they will be installed.