Fort Simpson (Dec 01/06) - A man has died in Fort Simpson after the equipment he was using broke through the ice on the Liard River crossing.

Workers assemble a tent on Wednesday in front of the location on the Liard River ice crossing where a piece of equipment broke through, killing its operator on Tuesday. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The man, whose name has not been released, was using the equipment to clear snow along one lane of the two-lane ice road on the afternoon of Nov. 28, according to a press release from the RCMP.

Workers alerted officials after realizing they could no longer see the equipment that had been working on the crossing, said police.

When workers checked the area they found a soft spot in the ice.

The Fort Simpson RCMP received the call about the accident between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Emergency services were also contacted and went to the scene, but the equipment was completely submerged and inaccessible.

The equipment had a cab on it where the operator would have been seated. Divers were expected to arrive on Nov. 29 to help with the recovery of the body.

The ice crossing on Highway 1 was open to cars and light vehicles weighing up to 3,000 kilograms on Nov. 24. One lane of the crossing remains open to crossing.