Search for 2 missing boaters ‘very difficult’ amid large search area, poor weather: Manitoba RCMP

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Peggy

The search for two missing boaters near Grand Rapids, Man., continues after another was found dead Saturday, RCMP say.

The three men — aged 28, 29 and 31, from Misipawistik Cree Nation — set off together by boat to the north basin of Lake Winnipeg to hunt moose, police previously said. Searchers found the 31-year-old man’s body in the water on Saturday.

A search for the other two men continues and includes local fishermen, community members, search and rescue groups, as well as the RCMP’s underwater recovery team, RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine told CBC in a Tuesday email.

The RCMP’s remotely piloted aircraft system has also been involved in the search.

A significantly large search area and recent poor weather conditions have made the search “very difficult,” Courchaine says.

The three men were expected to return by late Thursday, and Grand Rapids RCMP received a report about the missing boaters on Friday morning.

Police have said the search is focused on Lake Winnipeg. Items belonging to the missing boaters were found by searchers along the shoreline of Lake Winnipeg, between EagleNest and Reef point.

Misipawistik Cree Nation Chief Heidi Cook previously told CBC that community members started searching for the boaters as soon as they were reported missing, describing the men as commercial fishermen and fishing helpers who are experienced on the lake.