Search for Baker Lake elder moves into sixth day

A view of Baker Lake. Searchers are now looking for a 72-year-old man who fell off a qamutik while he and his grandson were driving by snowmobile from Rankin Inlet to Baker Lake. (FILE PHOTO)

Members of the RCMP and volunteer searchers are in the sixth day of a search for a 72-year-old who was lost May 7 while traveling from Rankin Inlet to his home in Baker Lake.

Cpl. Jonathan Saxby said volunteer searchers and police found “footwear impressions” on the evening of May 12 in an area near Gibson Lake.

Search parties have moved their base camp “further south” to focus on the area whether the prints were found.

“They’re on one particular area right now,” said Saxby. “It’s about a two-hour snow machine ride from Baker Lake.”

The elder was lost when he fell off a qamutik, towed by his grandson’s snowmoobile. The two men were alternating driving duties. The grandson, in his 20s, noticed that his grandfather had fallen off the sled at some point on May 7.

Local volunteer search crews from Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet were immediately called to help, and Baker Lake RCMP started assisting in the search on May 8.

Police estimate it takes a full day to travel between the communities, and the men were just over the halfway point of their journey when the elder was lost.

Saxby said use of aircraft for the search were to be confirmed on May 13, depending on the weather. These include a Twin Otter aircraft offered by Ookpik Aviation of Baker Lake and a helicopter from Agnico-Eagle Mining Corp., which have provided assistance on a volunteer basis.

At the request of the family, police could not identify the men, but the missing elder has been widely identified as Alvin Kannak.