Pangnirtung man drowns after fall from boat

A Pangnirtung man died earlier this week in a boating mishap at the mouth of the Cumberland Sound, the RCMP said Aug. 4 in a news release.

Pangnirtung RCMP received a call shortly after 5:00 p.m. on Aug. 1 reporting a boating incident that had occurred about an hour earlier that afternoon.

Their investigation revealed that the engine on a boat had stalled.

Noah Metuq, 46, was attempting to fix the motor and was removing the engine cap when he fell into the water, police said.

The strong water current then pulled the boat away from Metuq.

Family members, who were also in the boat, tried to paddle toward the victim without success, police said.

People in another nearby boat in located Metuq and rescued him from the water shortly. They started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Metuq was brought to the Pangnirtung health centre.

“He was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter,” the news release stated.

This is the third drowning death for Nunavut within little more than a week.

Tommy and Noah Kalluk of Arctic Bay drowned after their vessel encountered engine trouble and rough conditions in Admirality Inlet, about 25 nautical miles south of Arctic Bay.