UPDATE: A person who was the subject of a search by Arrowsmith Search and Rescue crews has been found deceased in the Spider Lake area, according to Oceanside RCMP.
Criminality is not suspected in the death and the ongoing police investigation continues in conjunction with the BC Coroners Service, according to Sgt. Shane Worth.
The man's next of kin have been notified and are being supported by RCMP Victim Services.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue is looking for a man who went missing in the Horne Lake area over the weekend.
The effort has been challenging, as search members have had to deal with difficult terrain and a large search area, according to Nick Rivers, search manager.
"We've been pushing through pretty dense vegetation and working hard," he said. "It's a large road network and if anyone in the area can assist in checking their out buildings and whatever they can do to help us would be great."
ASAR is assisting Oceanside RCMP in looking for a 58-year-old man who is local to the area, he added.
They have called in assistance from search and rescue teams from Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Alberni Valley, Comox Valley and Campbell River.
Volunteers are set up at the Horne Lake gas station and are searching an area that includes Spider Lake, and if necessary will expand outwards, according to Rivers.
Searchers believe the missing man is on foot, and considering the difficult terrain that includes many creeks and rivers, it is possible he could be injured.
"Sometimes it doesn't look like it from the road but as soon as you get off the road, even just a couple feet, there's snags and logs and holes," Rivers added. "It's really tough. Our searchers are having a hard time getting through it, so it's easy to get injured and just stuck in the terrain."
— With files from Michael Briones
