Air and ground search underway for missing Nunavut man

A search is now underway for a Parks Canada employee from Pond Inlet who left Hall Beach May 12 by snowmobile and did not show up at his destination in Repulse Bay, where he was expected to arrive May 15.

Capt. David Bowes, with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., said May 18 that a C-130 Hercules jet from Winnipeg and a Twin Otter from Yellowknife were both dispatched May 17 after being contacted that day by emergency measures personnel in Iqaluit.

Bowes said the missing 35-year-old man is experienced in surviving on the land, but weather in the area turned bad during his journey to Repulse Bay.

The weather finally cleared on May 18 and, given the ample twilight this time of year, the rescue aircraft have been working as much as possible to cover the search area.

“We kind of overlap their timing so we have an aircraft up at all times,” Bowes said.

Ground search teams have also been dispatched from both Repulse Bay and Hall Beach, Bowes said.

“Searches continue until all reasonable chance of finding survivors have been exhausted,” Bowes said.

Right now, they are covering the primary search area, he added, and will reassess on an ongoing basis as efforts continue.

(more to come)