Search crews still hope to recover drowned Nunavik toddler

A family of six from Kangirsuk was out on a fishing excursion July 9 along the Payne River when their canoe capsized. A three-year-old boy is believed to have drowned after he was pulled under the rapids. (FILE PHOTO)

Friends and family of a Nunavik toddler continue their search for the body of the youngster after he drowned outside the community of Kangirsuk earlier this month.

A family of six from Kangirsuk was out on a fishing excursion July 9 along the Payne River when their canoe capsized about 54 kilometres away from the Ungava coast community, the Kativik Regional Police Force said in a July 20 release.

Relatives said the canoe rolled over several times in rapids, which submerged all six passengers. All the boaters were pulled under the rapids at times but the three-year-old boy was pulled from the group’s grasp.

All five surviving family members were rescued by other travellers in the area.

Over the last two weeks, municipal staff, local search and rescue teams, and KRPF and Sûreté du Québec officers have combed the riverbanks in search of the boy.

As of July 23, the toddler’s body has yet to be recovered.

“The KRPF expresses its deepest condolences to the family,” Nunavik police said in a July 20 release.