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The body of a man believed to be the third of three young men missing in Sooke was recovered Tuesday afternoon near Sooke River Road. The bodies of two other men were found Sunday.

“Our thoughts are with the families of all three of the victims and all those who have been and are impacted by this terribly tragic event,” Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Brett Sinden said in a statement. “We would like to thank all the volunteers who have assisted in the search over the course of the last few days.”

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Cory Mills, Eric Blackmore and A. J. Jensen, all 20, are believed to have been travelling in a pickup on Friday night or early Saturday that somehow ended up in the Sooke River.

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Police think the truck was driving along Sooke River Road. They said it appears that the road was covered in fast-moving water Friday night.

The truck was found “washed-up” on what’s locally called “river right” downstream about 400 metres from the Sooke’ potholes riverbank after having floated downstream, said Juan de Fuca Search-and-Rescue manager Kathryn Farr. Searchers believe they know where the truck entered the water but aren’t revealing that location publicly.

The river rose up to six metres, flooding low-lying areas of Sooke River Road with several feet of water Friday and Saturday — “the highest they’ve been in about 25 years,” said Farr. The force of the water snapped trees on the river’s edge, moved concrete barriers and lifted sunken logs into an elevated parking lot.

The river had receded by Tuesday morning, allowing searchers to look under riverside bushes, brush and trees that had been covered by water.

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