Three people perished in two separate incidents in Ontario cottage country over the weekend. In both circumstances, emergency personnel recovered the victims from water bodies after they had fallen through the ice. Over the past month, Ontario Provincial Police have reported a string of fatal accidents as a result of unstable ice conditions caused by unseasonably warm temperatures. With the long weekend coming up, emergency personnel are asking the public to be cautious around water.
The Lifesaving Society advises avoiding any ice that is seven centimetres in thickness or less. If you are participating in a recreational activity on a frozen body of water, here’s what the Lifesaving Society recommends:
- Avoid unfamiliar paths
- Never go onto the ice alone
- Inform someone of where you’re going and when you plan to return
- Wear a buoyant suit or lifejacket
- Carry ice picks, ice poles, and rope
- Stay off the ice at night
Bodies of two hikers recovered from Charleston Lake
At approximately 4 p.m. on Monday, search and rescue teams located the bodies of the two missing people who had fallen through the ice on Charleston Lake, approximately 60 kilometres east of Kingston, Ont.
Three people had been hiking in Charleston Lake Provincial Park on Sunday evening when they went through the ice. According to police, one person managed to pull themselves out of the water.
The OPP initiated a search for the other two individuals with assistance from the Emergency Response Team, aviation services, underwater search and recovery unit, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Leeds and Thousand Islands fire department, Rideau Lakes fire department, as well as a helicopter from the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.
OPP have not released the identities of the two people out of respect for the relatives. “Our thoughts go out to the families of those involved in this tragedy,” OPP Const. Joey Mason said in a video posted to Facebook.
Snowmobiler found in Go Home River
The Bracebridge detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating the death of a missing snowmobiler who was found in Go Home River in the Township of Georgian Bay.
On Sunday, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the OPP a witness reported seeing a person in Go Home River. Police believed the person to be a snowmobiler who hadn’t been seen for approximately 18 hours. Due to the unpredictable weather and ice conditions, emergency personnel could not reach the individual from the shore. OPP’s aviation and ERT teams later found the 46-year-old snowmobiler dead.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call Bracebridge OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
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