Driver missing after vehicle plunges into Columbia River

WENATCHEE — At least one person missing after a vehicle drove into the Columbia River Sunday morning.

A 2013 GMC Sierra was headed southbound on Highway 97A when about 9 a.m. the vehicle drifted and overcorrected across the highway, over a set of railroad tracks and into the Columbia River, according to a Washington State Patrol news release.

The vehicle was retrieved from the river about 15 hours laterbut the driver hasn’t been found. The driver, who hasn’t been identified, is presumed dead.

The number of occupants in the vehicle is also unknown, the news release said.

The highway was closed from about 4 p.m. Sunday to almost 12:30 a.m. while crews retrieved the pickup, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office on Monday was searching the first 10 to 15 feet in the shallow end of the river, said Trooper Jeremy Weber.

“They’re doing the best they can,” Weber said. Adding, “We’re doing the best we can.”