Saskatoon rescue crews end search for man in South Saskatchewan River for the night

Saskatoon's water rescue crew has ended its search of the river for a missing man — at least for tonight.

Wednesday afternoon, members of the Saskatoon police and fire crews searched for a man who they believe may have entered the South Saskatchewan River from the Broadway Bridge over the noon hour.

At about 12:30 p.m. CST, police received a call from what they call "a man in distress on the Broadway Bridge."

When they arrived at the bridge, they couldn't find him, but they did find a backpack that they believe belongs to him. 

Police believe he may have jumped into the river. But they have not spoken to anyone who witnessed a man jump.

"So far we haven't been able to find anyone, but if there is anyone out there we would certainly like to hear from them," Staff Sgt. Grand Obst said.  

Search crews were using a rescue boat from the fire service and air support from the police.

Battalion Chief Brent Hart said the rescue team — made of two divers, two backup divers and those guiding the work — was turning to a sonar search of the river, which can speed up the rate of a search.

"It has not been confirmed that that person is in the water, but we're going to conduct a search as if they were," Hart said. 

He noted that because there is debris at the bottom of the river, sonar is only one tool, and divers are needed to confirm what they might find. 

Anyone with information on the man's location is asked to contact police 306-975-8300.