UPDATE: Seniors bus stolen from Merritt after man steals keys from lobby

A Merritt seniors' residence bus was stolen overnight after a man broke into the building and stole a set of keys.

Andrew Klymchuk, maintenance supervisor with The Florentine retirement community, said someone stole the bus around 3 a.m. today, Oct. 7, from where it was parked at the residence.

He said the bus has a very distinguishable wrap with the name of the business on the side of it, so "it kind of sticks out like a sore thumb."

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"I think it was reported being seen down in the Lower Mainland," Klymchuk said.

Sgt. Joshua Roda, with Merritt RCMP, said a man used a tool to gain access to the residence through the main lobby and then stole the keys to the bus.

The residence relies on the bus for transportation as it is the only bus they have, but due to COVID-19, outings have been limited, Klymchuk said.

"For the foreseeable future that will be cancelled for now, but we weren't relying heavily on it," he said.

The RCMP is asking the public to call the police if they see the bus.

– This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. to provide a comment from the RCMP.

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