Search continues for 2 missing Prince George snowmobilers who fell in river

Two snowmobilers are still missing after an accident late Monday afternoon on the Salmon River near Prince George despite an all-day search. 

The search was suspended Tuesday afternoon around 4:30, but will resume Wednesday morning.

Police say several snowmobilers were travelling together when one man fell into the river.

It's not clear whether the group was "on the ice or going through the water," when the man fell in, according to a release from Prince George RCMP.

Two other men in the group jumped in to rescue him, but only one managed to climb out.

The missing men, aged 31 and 36, are from Prince George, said RCMP ​Cpl. Craig Douglass.

RCMP said a helicopter was deployed but the search could only continue on the ground after sunset. The search continued until midnight Monday and resumed first thing Tuesday morning.

Mild winter means thin ice

Douglass said mild January and February temperatures mean the river has less ice cover than usual for this time of year.

"With our unusually warm winter, ice is not safe to be on," Douglass said.

Douglass described the snowmobiling the men were doing as "high-risk." Just before noon, he said the fact that the search has been underway for hours now means "there's not a good chance of finding them alive."

The search is being coordinated from Marlin Drive, northeast of the Salmon River bridge. A pilot and two spotters are flying over the Salmon Valley while Search and Rescue combs the river ice and snowbanks.

RCMP update via Periscope