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Float plane sinks in Kootenay Lake

Two people were rescued Sunday after their float plane overturned and sank near Seven Mile.
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A float plane lies in Kootenay Lake following a crash yesterday afternoon. This is not the location where it happened.

Two people were rescued Sunday afternoon after their float plane overturn and sank near Seven Mile.

RCMP Sgt. Darryl Little says as the privately-owned Lake Buccaneer amphibian was taking off around 2:45 p.m., it hit two or three boat waves, causing the plane to drift and go nose-first into the water.

Nelson Search and Rescue manager Lou Coletti said three of their members responded in a rescue boat.

When they arrived, the male pilot, 62, and female passenger, 57, both from Tarrys, had already been pulled from the water by boaters in the area. They were not injured.

"We circled around the middle of the lake for a bit but couldn't find any sign of the plane," Coletti said. "The water was ripply. If it was super smooth, we might have been able to see oil bubbling up."

He wasn't sure if further efforts will be made to recover the plane.

The Transportation Safety Board's Bill Yearwood said they are gathering data on the incident but not deploying any investigators to the scene.