Accidental death near Nunavut’s Kekerten Island: RCMP

A hunter has drowned following a motor vehicle collision near the south Baffin community of Pangnirtung. (FILE PHOTO)

(Updated at 5:40 p.m.)

A Nunavut man has died on a hunting trip near Pangnirtung, after hitting his head and falling through the ice.

Sgt. David Lawson, spokesperson for the Nunavut RCMP, said May 25 that the fatality involved a motor vehicle accident—likely, in this case, snowmobiles—during a hunting trip near Kekerten Island, in Cumberland Sound, at around 8:30 p.m., May 24, when the local detachment received a distress call.

Nunavut RCMP said a group of hunters was travelling on the ice from near Kekerten Island en route to Pangnirtung when one of the hunters hit his head and fell through the ice.

Other hunters were able to recover the man from the water and perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation but were unable to revive him, police said in a May 25 release.

No foul play is suspected; the RCMP called the incident a “tragic accidental death.”

“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and community of Pangnirtung through this difficult time,” the RCMP release said.

Many Nunavummiut are now travelling on the spring ice under sunny skies and warmer temperatures. This prompted the Government of Nunavut to issue a public service advisory earlier this month describing the changing ice conditions and the need to use caution when fishing, hunting and travelling on ice this time of year.

Officials reminded travellers to remain alert and pay attention to their surroundings, use caution in areas where there is a lot of surface water on the ice and carry communication devices with them.