.E-mail This Article

Hunters plucked from ice

Greenland helicopter to the rescue

Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services

Clyde River (Apr 30/01) - Five people and a dog team were flown to safety last week after the group was stranded by high winds and thin ice.

A sudden weather shift left the four hunters and one visitor trapped on free floating ice 177 km from town April 23. They were three-days into a planned 10-day polar bear hunt.

They radioed the hamlet for help and Eric Doig, manager of Nunavut Emergency Management, co-ordinated the rescue effort in conjunction with the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) in Halifax.

"The problem with active ice is its always breaking up and you don't have a lot time to get off," he said.

Bad weather prevented a Canadian Forces Labrador helicopter from being sent out from Iqaluit to rescue the group.

Instead, a Greenland military helicopter dispatched by RCC retrieved the group Monday afternoon.

The five and their dogs were left in Qikiqtarjuaq because of time and fuel constraints. The group's snowmobiles and gear were left behind. Efforts are under way to retrieve the items, Doig said.

Locating the floating camp proved extremely difficult due white out conditions, Doig said.

Clyde River mayor Johnathon Palluq and finance officer Rebecca Hainnu monitored phones from dawn until dusk, relaying information and offering support to rescuers and the stranded group.

"It couldn't have been done without the community effort," Doig said.

It's the first time Greenland has assisted with a Nunavut emergency.

However, the partnership has not uncommon on Canada's Eastern Coast, Doig said.

"This was a full-blown rescue operation and they jumped right in.

"It's probably something we'll consider using in the future," Doig said.