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Crews search North Saskatchewan River for teen swept downstream

Crews were searching the North Saskatchewan River for the missing boy on Monday after halting efforts overnight. (Nathan Gross/CBC - image credit)
Crews were searching the North Saskatchewan River for the missing boy on Monday after halting efforts overnight. (Nathan Gross/CBC - image credit)

Search and rescue teams fanned out across the North Saskatchewan River Monday to resume the search for a missing 14-year-old boy.

Family members have identified the boy as Bosit Naqibulah.

The search began Sunday evening in southwest Edmonton after the teen was caught in the current and carried downstream.

He was swept away around 5 p.m. Sunday, police said in a statement.

Submitted by family of Bosit Naqibulah
Submitted by family of Bosit Naqibulah

Naqibulah was in a group of four teens who had been swimming in the river near Terwillegar Park, along the south bank of the North Saskatchewan in southwest Edmonton.

The search was paused overnight Sunday when it grew too dark for search crews to operate but resumed Monday morning, police said.

Police are asking the public to keep an eye on the river for any sign of the teen.

He was wearing grey shorts, police said.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Edmonton police or Crime Stoppers.

Police said many resources, including search crews from Edmonton and Strathcona County, are involved in the search.

Officers are also working with the teen's family, police said.

Strider White was near the Fort Edmonton footbridge —  just downstream of a small sandy beach at the park — when emergency crews, including search boats and a helicopter, began to descend on the area.

It was a startling, unsettling scene for White. His father, Robert White, drowned in April 2021 after falling through the ice on the river near Buena Vista Park while attempting to save a stranger's dog.

White said the ongoing search is a reminder of the dangers of the North Saskatchewan.

"I hope that there can be more attention put towards safety around that water," he said in an interview.

"It looks so beautiful, but it's also so powerful."

As the search continues, White said he is thinking of the teen's family.

"My heart goes out to them," he said. "I hope they find that boy."