Search for missing Kimmirut man suspended due to weather

Search and rescue teams in Kimmirut have paused their search for a man still missing after a boat capsized last weekend.

The volunteer searchers hope to resume their efforts Friday if weather improves. The body of a second man was recovered earlier.

“Today it was snowing so we couldn’t see far, and tomorrow it will be very windy so we don’t want to risk any more lives when we go to do the search,” Rosie Akavak, the ground search and rescue co-ordinator in Kimmirut, said in an interview Wednesday.

In a news release issued Tuesday, the RCMP said two men were seen travelling by boat Friday along the coast of Big Island looking for soapstone.

Their capsized boat was discovered the next day by boaters, who also found the body of one of the men in the water. That night, a Royal Canadian Air Force Cormorant helicopter was brought in to help with the search for the missing man.

The RCMP release did not identify the two men, however Akavak said the man who died is the son of the other boater, who is still missing.

On Sunday, members of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre were on the scene for 13 hours but called off their search based on survival models. It’s a joint RCAF and Canadian Coast Guard team that does search and rescue missions across Canada.

The models use factors such as the age of the missing person, water temperature, wind, exposure, and amount of time in the water, said Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey, public affairs officer at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

RCMP and the local search and rescue team are continuing their search.

On Wednesday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. George Henrie said there was no new information on the search.

Henrie said officers will not be going out with the search team but are helping within the community and remain informed when crews are sent out and return, and if they find anything.

All of the volunteers are using their own boats, but gas and supplies are funded by Iqaluit search and rescue, Akavak said.

“When the weather is nice enough, we’ll send out six to eight boats depending on the drivers and we task out at least three people in the boat, so there’s one driver and two spotters.”

She added: “Just wanted to thank anyone and everyone who is helping us financially, spiritually, we really appreciate it.”