Police and rescue workers are searching for a 15-year-old boy who went missing while tubing on the Grand River in Elora.
Around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, Wellington County OPP were motified that three 15-year-old males had been tubing on the Grand River in the Elora Gorge Conservation Area.
Police say the teens entered fast-flowing, turbulent waters and as a result were separated from their tubes.
Two of the three managed to make it to shore safely.
Their friend, Bryce Hogg, was last seen floating down the river.
Wellington County OPP officers, Canine and the Emergency Response Team (ERT) along with Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue, Guelph-Wellington Emergency Services (EMS) and Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) staff responded to the scene and conducted an on-ground shoreline search for the missing youth.
The search was called off Wednesday night due to safety concerns and resumed Thursday morning.
Hogg’s uncle, Mike Carlo, spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon, calling his nephew an accomplished dirt biker and an outdoorsman who loved exploring nature.
“(His parents’) wish is that this event doesn’t discourage boys from doing the things that boys do. Bryce would not want that,” he said.
The GRCA’s tubing operations have been closed all week due to high water levels, therefore it is believed the teens brought their own tubes to the river.
“Because of the high amount of rainfall that we had this week, the river was running quite high,” says GRCA spokesperson Dave Schultz.
At the nearby Shand Dam, water has been flowing at 75 cubic metres per second – about 19 times normal summer levels.
Schultz says the GRCA has reduced the flow through the dam to help the search effort.
The OPP is seeking information from anyone who may have been tubing in the area around this time or anyone who may have information that may assist with this investigation please call 1-888-310-1122.
CTV's Nadia Matos will have more on this story tonight on CTV News at Six.
