One of two missing persons has been found after a lengthy search and rescue mission in Cambridge Bay that wrapped up on Sunday, May 5.
The Nunavut Emergency Management division of the RCMP and Cambridge Bay Search and Rescue (GSAR) combined efforts. Kuglutuk GSAR was also asked to assist in the efforts.
By April 27, Cambridge Bay GSAR requested air support to help in the search, and one Twin Otter and a helicopter were chartered.
After consulting with Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), that body deployed a C-130 Hercules out of Winnipeg on May 1. On that day, one member of the missing party was spotted and picked up by rescuers. The individual was returned to Cambridge Bay, where they were determined to be in good health and were reunited with their family.
Using new information, the teams tracked footprints believed to belong to the other missing individual. Air support and ground search continued in vain until the end of the day on May 5.
Nunavut Emergency Management, after consulting with the partner agencies, decided that the search and rescue file would then be closed. Nunavut RCMP will now work with the community to coordinate their efforts on the missing person’s file.
The identities of the missing and rescued individuals were not revealed in a May 7 news release.
All the teams involved have worked tirelessly throughout this entirety of this search, according to the RCMP. All partners were able to execute their roles effectively thanks to the sharing of information, the police force added.