Canada

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Chopper breaks through ice during rescue

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 01/10/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

ARVIAT, Nunavut -- A pair of seal hunters waiting to be plucked to safety after becoming stranded on ice in Canada's Arctic had to literally leap into action and become the rescuers themselves Wednesday when the chopper sent to retrieve them broke through the ice.

"There actually wasn't a crash," said Capt. Jill Strelieff, public affairs officer for 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg.

"A civilian chartered helicopter, a Bell Jet ranger from a local company, was going to rescue the two. When he landed on the ice floe, the weight of the aircraft broke through the ice and the two hunters were able to pull the pilot from the aircraft."

Strelieff said a large CC-130 Hercules aircraft from CFB Trenton was on hand and was able to parachute in two rescue technicians. The group of five then waited while a helicopter was dispatched from CFB Cold Lake in Alberta.

It managed to land safety and transported the entire group to shore. They were then transported to Arviat, Nunavut. All three men were taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia, but are listed in good condition. High winds made the temperature feel in the range of -50 C.

The drama on the west shore of Hudson Bay began to unfold Tuesday night when the search was launched after the hunters didn't return home as scheduled.

Charlotte St. John said she was immediately worried for her brother Joe Karetak and his son Joe Jr., better known by his traditional name, Nepyok.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 10, 2013 A12

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Canada

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.