Aclose friend has identified 24-year-old Benina Jepkoech, who is presumed to have drowned in a river at Kaloomps, B.C, about 350km north of Vancouver, after the car she was driving plunged into it on Sunday, May 17.
According to the deceased close friend, Jacinta Mugo, Benina had moved to Canada from Kenya last year.
Mugo, who was with Jepkoech moments before the car crashed into the North Thompson River around 6:30 p.m. PT on May 17, said that it likely happened because Jepkoech had little experience driving in Canada.
At the time of the accident, Jepkoech was in the company of a 21-year-old passenger in the car. The passenger was rescued by brave bystanders who dived into the river to rescue her.
According to Mugo, Jepkoech and the said passenger had stopped at her house to borrow a blow dryer.
Mugo says that while heading back after collecting the blow dryer from Mugo, Jepkoech asked to drive the car.
“She wanted to eventually buy a car for herself, and she had not been driving, she’d never driven here in Canada before,” Mugo said.
In an interview with CBC, Mugo said she suspects that Jepkoech panicked when she reached Schubert Drive, a two-lane highway, one lane in each direction.
Jepkoech was used to driving cars in Kenya, where the law prescribes drivers to keep left, as opposed to Canada, where drivers are required to keep right.
“I think due to the panic, she accidentally turned all the wheels to the right facing the river,” she said, “And then instead of probably pressing on the brakes, she pressed on the gas, and that’s when the car flew and plunged into the river.”
Mugo said Jepkoech’s family had already been informed about the tragedy and expressed hope that she would be found soon.
“We are prepared for any outcome — whether she is alive or not — we just want her found,” Mugo said.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Frankel, a search manager with Kamloops Search and Rescue, said the operation to locate the vehicle that plunged into the river remains suspended due to high water levels caused by spring snowmelt.
He added that rescuers would consult with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police before deciding when the search could resume, although no timeline has been provided.
