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Snowmobiler dies after plunging through ice on Muskoka River

A 48-year-old snowmobiler died after plunging through semi-frozen ice in the Muskoka region late on Sunday, Feb. 17th.

According to the OPP, Edward Dehaan of Smithville, Ont., and three other men drove their snowmobiles to the Deerhearst Resort in Lake of Bays Township. Around 11 p.m., while returning to their cottage, the four men got lost near Baysville and fell through the ice on the Muskoka River.

Constable Lynda Cranny says that three of the men were rescued, while Dehaan’s body was not recovered from the water until around noon on Monday.

Despite recent cold temperatures in Ontario’s cottage country, the OPP and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) have warned that no ice is 100 percent safe for snowmobilers.

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