The family of a Gordon Sagoo, 50, who separated from two friends while hiking in Chilliwack, B.C. is still hopeful he will be found as the search enters its second week.
"Our nightmare began one week ago", family and friends of missing hiker Gord Sagoo plea for his safe return pic.twitter.com/0h1vPrrggs
— Kurtis Doering (@KDnewsguy) August 21, 2016
On Sunday, more than a hundred people attended a news conference by his family, who are desperately asking people to keep looking for the North Delta resident.
“This has been one of the most agonizing and challenging times our family has gone through. Nothing has been harder than returning home each day without him,” said Sagoo’s niece Manpreet Gill.
“The search teams have brought in drones and dogs, without a trace. But we know that’s for a reason, we know he’s still out there. He is strong, determined, resilient – there isn’t a powerful enough word to describe my uncle,” said Gill.
Thank you to the Chilliwack #SAR for your efforts. I sincerely hope that Mr. Gordon Sagoo will be home soon. #BringGordHome #DeltaBC #BCSAR
— Vicki Huntington MLA (@vickihuntington) August 19, 2016
Sagoo’s family and search and rescue crews have returned to the mountain daily, looking for signs of the missing man.
"I'm not going to ever lose hope or give up searching for him because I know I will bring him home," said his daughter, Amandeep Sagoo.
RCMP and Search and Rescue have searched a two kilometer radius from the air and from the ground. Dogs, drones and infrared technology have all been used as well - but there has been no sign of Sagoo.
"There're a couple of key areas that are still in question that were accessible to him,” said Ed Kumar, Sagoo’s friend. “If he had slipped down a slope he could've gotten injured, or trapped in some high tree and foliage."
The search has been suspended for the moment while rescue crews review the results. It’s up to police to decide if and how it will continue.
“Chances of survival are minimized at this point,” said Doug Frazer, Chilliwack Search and Rescue.
"The RCMP has the ultimate authority here, but they certainly take all of the information that is provided by Search and Rescue and weigh that into making their decision.”
So far family and friends have raised more than $9,000 for the rescue efforts.
