The body of a 36-year-old male snowmobiler who went through the ice of a pond in the vicinity of New Bay Road in Grand Falls-Windsor was recovered yesterday by the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team.
Search efforts began on Saturday, December 28. Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP responded to the call mid-afternoon, along with Exploits Ground Search and Rescue and fire department rescue personnel, who were assisted by local residents in getting to the site, which is a 20-minute snowmobile ride in from the roadway. The man was travelling with another individual also on snowmobile when they became separated. The tracks of the man's snowmobile led to a hole in the ice. Search efforts took place until 7:40 p.m. on Saturday and began again on Sunday. The man's body was recovered by divers of the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team.
The RCMP urges the public not to venture on to ice-covered bodies of water unless the appropriate safety checks for thickness of the ice have taken place. Even then, the public should proceed with caution as many variables, including temperature, winds and water currents can impact the safety of the ice surface. No open body of water covered with ice can ever be considered completely safe.
Further information can be found here: https://www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/swimming-and-water-sa...