Body found at Puvirnituq Snow Festival grounds

A body of a man was found Wednesday morning on the ice where Puvirnituq’s snow festival is taking place, with police saying all possibilities are at play.

Police tape was set up at the exact spot where some 200 sculptors and community members gathered Monday for the start of the five-day Puvirnituq Snow Festival.

The body found was that of a man in his 40s, said Nunavik Police Service deputy Chief Jean-François Morin.

Police were called to the scene at around 6 a.m.

“All hypotheses are being studied at the moment,” said Morin in a French email.

Nunavik police have called upon the Sureté du Québec’s crimes against the person division, which is on its way to Puvirnituq.

The death was reported at the Inuulitsivik Health Centre, said Sureté du Québec spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.

He said circumstances of the event are still “nebulous,” which is why the investigation division was called in. A coroner has also been assigned to the case.

Beaulieu said he wouldn’t share any further details.

Dogsled racing and igloo building activities scheduled for the snow festival on Wednesday have been cancelled, but the events planned for the evening inside Satuumavik gymnasium will go on as scheduled.

Outdoor activities are expected to resume Thursday.