Crane recovery underway 2 weeks after fatal Alberta river crash

An emergency crew searches the water under the Wapiti River Bridge after a commercial crane drove off the bridge and went into the water, near Grande Prairie, Alta., on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/William Vavrek

Crews are working to recover the crane that was part of a fatal crash in a northern Alberta river last month.

Mounties ask boats to stay away from Wapiti River near the bridge at Highway 40, just south of Grande Prairie, until further notice. Drivers should also expect traffic delays, they said.

The crane went over the Wapiti River Bridge the morning of June 16. One man, the crane operator, died. The cause of the crash is still unknown to investigators.

RCMP and divers have not yet been able to recover the body of the man, partially because the current was too strong at the time.

Federal occupational health and safety officials are also investigating the crash.