Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Aug 13/99) - Three Aklavik youths who spent the weekend lost in the Mackenzie Delta were found safe Monday night.

Aklavik RCMP Cpl. Maureen Levy said Tuesday that the three 19-year-olds -- Charles Smith, Sandy Illasiak and Jamie Meyook -- had travelled in a 19-foot Misty River aluminum boat with an 85-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor to Inuvik on Friday evening. They were last seen around 1 p.m. the following day on Inuvik's Mackenzie Road and announced their intention to return to Aklavik.

But when they failed to show up at home later that day, they were reported missing and a search began.

Cpl. Levy said that besides the RCMP, a number of groups participated in the search including the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, the Canadian Coast Guard Search Association, the Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Association and Aklavik Search and Rescue.

Levy said the strong effort paid off. The teens were spotted in their boat around midnight Monday evening southeast of Shallow Bay. She said they appeared to in good health despite their ordeal.

"It was a totally successful rescue mission," said Levy.

Jerry Kasoon of Parks Canada said he and a contingent of RCMP officers from Inuvik had also joined in the search. Kasoon said the group was on its way to Herschel Island when poor weather and fog forced them to stop over in Shingle Point and eventually cancel their trip. Kasoon said the party made a detour on its way back through the Delta to lend a hand in the search.

Kasoon said, what with the foggy conditions, it would have been very easy to get lost in the fog.

"They must have got turned around in the Delta and lost their direction," he said.