Teen dies after fall on Interior B.C. mountain

A tragic incident upended what was supposed to be a teenager’s hike with friends in B.C.’s Interior Monday afternoon.

The Salmon Arm RCMP says it was called around 6 p.m. after a 17-year-old local hiked up Bastion Mountain, roughly 100 kilometres from Kamloops, with two friends.

The teen reportedly walked off from his party, and disappeared near the top of a cliff around. Mounties say he was missing until one of the friends’ fathers found him unresponsive at the base of a cliff.

Search and rescue personnel descended by rope to the teen and determined that he had died.

Based on the Mounties’ report, the teen must have slipped and fallen off the 200-foot cliff.

“This is another tragic event that will greatly affect our community,” said Sgt. Simon Scott.

“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a young life. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends, and all those impacted by this devastating event.”

The BC Coroners Service is conducting its own parallel investigation.

According to alltrails.com, the Bastion Mountain trail is an almost 19-kilometre-long hike with an elevation gain of 580 meters.