RCMP in Kelowna, B.C., say they safely dismantled a “live explosive device” Monday night after the discovery of a suspicious object closed Highway 97.
Const. Mike Della-Paolera referred to it as an IED or improvised explosive device but provided no further detail.
An explosives disposal unit disabled the device sometime after 7 p.m. after it was spotted near the highway south of Cooper Drive, RCMP said.
Police said they are investigating who is responsible for the device.
The highway, which was snarled with traffic on Monday, is open again.
The 800-metre stretch of the highway through Kelowna is where many major malls and restaurants in the Central Okanagan municipality are located, including the Orchard Plaza Shopping Centre.
It is also a main road to the Kelowna International Airport (YLW) and West Kelowna, Penticton and other cities in the South Okanagan.
Della-Paolera said police were alerted to “something on the ground that was a little suspicious” early in the afternoon Monday.
⛔ UDPATE – <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCHwy97?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCHwy97</a> In <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kelowna?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Kelowna</a> CLOSED due to a police incident between Spall Rd and Cooper Rd. Road closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles. Expect major delays. Detour in effect. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Westbank?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Westbank</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/YLW?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#YLW</a> <br>For more information: <a href=”https://t.co/nBX1KJkU9E”>https://t.co/nBX1KJkU9E</a> <a href=”https://t.co/peNaY8zWwP”>pic.twitter.com/peNaY8zWwP</a>
—@DriveBC
Della-Paolera said the RCMP explosives unit in the Lower Mainland viewed pictures of the object and “were concerned with what they saw.”
He said a team was dispatched to assess and dispose of the device
Kelowna RCMP said they called in extra resources, including bylaw officers and firefighters, to stand by and help with traffic.
Kelowna is Canada’s fastest-growing metropolitan area over the last five years, with its population increasing by 14 per cent to more than 222,000 in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.
