(KENORA, ON) – Members of the Kenora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Marine and Trails Unit (MTU) were notified by Lac Du Bonnet RCMP around 5:00 pm on Monday, January 20 and advised that two men had been reported stranded in the area of Reynar Lake inside the Ontario border. OPP MTU responded to the call and activated the Northwest Region Emergency Response Team, as well as the Canadian Military at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton (JRCC Trenton). JRCC sent out a Hercules aircraft from CFB Winnipeg to assist in the location of the two men, both in their mid 30’s.
At approximately 10:30 pm, OPP received a cell phone call from the missing men and they provided police with a GPS co-ordinate of their location. The men were located from the air by JRCC and family members were nearby on snow machines and picked the men up. The men had been fishing when they became stuck in deep slush. They were cold and exhausted and one was suffering from frostbite but neither one had any serious injuries.
It is Snowmobile Safety Week in Ontario and the OPP would like to remind riders to think about safety while riding. Preparation, carrying safety equipment such as a cell phone, charger, GPS and survival gear are some safety points for people who choose to enjoy this great winter activity.
