RCMP say Yukon River not the place for polar bear swims

Whitehorse RCMP are warning people not to go swimming in the Yukon River.

The warning may seem unnecessary to many.

Cpl. Natasha Dunmall says, however, police have received calls about people taking part in "polar bear" swims in the vicinity of a spot known as the intake.

"There is a demonstrated danger of drowning due to the strong currents and the undertow in the area of the Yukon River regardless of summer or winter, obviously in winter  you have the added dangers of temperatures, ice moving, ice jams," Dunmall says.

Dunmall says it would be difficult to conduct a rescue because most of the river is frozen over. She says the Yukon is not an ideal place for a polar bear swim due to harsh weather conditions.

Over the past decade three people have drowned in that section of the river.