Kathleen Lippa
Northern News Services

Hall Beach (Sep 08/03) - Mothers, fathers, and friends banded together in a group 60 strong, searching the waters and the shoreline for two of their young people who went missing on a fishing trip last week.

Now the close-knit community of Hall Beach is mourning the loss of 12-year-old Cory Irqittuq and 16-year-old Brenda Kammuka.

The two teens, who were cousins, went fishing last Friday at 3 p.m., about 70 miles south of Hall Beach. They went alone.

"The family knew about that, and several family members saw them leave," Const. Martin Roi said. "And nothing was wrong at that time."

Police believe the two teens drowned between Friday and Saturday in the waters between Hall Beach and Repulse Bay in McKegg Bay.

Police don't know how it happened, but they do know the teens were not using a boat.

"There was one on the shore," Roi said. "I don't think they used a boat."

The police were alerted about the missing teens early Saturday morning.

Rescue workers mobilized quickly, mainly family members and friends from the community who were camping close to the scene already. Others left from Hall Beach by boat or helicopter when they heard the news.

Mark Hall was one of them. A trained search and rescue worker, he joined the RCMP, but the search was emotional and rushed.

"We were ill-equipped," Hall said. "We had no sleeping bags, no clothes, no food. We planned not to spend a lot of time there. We had a job to do. The plan was to do it and return."

But the community was there for them, offering food and clothing if needed.

"The generosity has been overwhelming," Hall said.

Kammuka was found first, last Saturday.

Irqittuq's body was located days later, with the help of an underwater camera operated by Hall.

Because many people involved in the search were not professional rescuers, counselling may be needed to help them cope with the tragedy, hamlet officials say.

"That's something we're going to have to try and arrange I think," said Ann Curley at the hamlet office.

On Wednesday the mood in the community was "tense," she said.

"There's a lot of sadness," said Hall, also the hamlet's SAO.

"Most of the community were out on the beach to meet rescue workers," he said. "It was a very emotional scene."

"Everybody knows everybody in this small community," Curley added.

A funeral service was held on Thursday.