Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Baker Lake (July 18/01) - Two teenagers are dead following a tragic boating accident in Baker Lake this past weekend.

Edwin Putumiraqtuq, 19, and James (Joedee) Kablalik, 18, left the hamlet at about 4:30 a.m. on July 14 for a day of canoeing and fishing.

The two young men were seen at about 3:30 p.m. that afternoon fishing near the Baker Lake campground. Their overturned canoe was spotted about 90 minutes later.

Cpl. Paul Richer of the Bake Lake RCMP detachment said the two men were not carry ing life-jackets in the canoe.

He said the community has been stunned by the tragedy.

"Everybody's doing their best to hold together," said Richer. "We have a good community when it comes to the excellent support our residents give one another during a time of tragedy."

Richer said the cause of the accident is unknown, but it is doubtful weather conditions played a role.

"The winds had picked up a bit to about 13 knots, but overall, it was a good day to be boating."

More than 100 people including RCMP officers, Canadian Rangers, search-and-rescue personnel and community volunteers took part in attempts to locate Putumiraqtuq and Kablalik.

After an extensive search, the bodies of Kablalik and Putumiraqtuq were pulled from the lake at just before 9 a.m. Sunday.

"It's a terrible tragedy, but the bodies being retrieved does, to a certain extent, help relieve the families," Richer said.

Nunavut Emergency Management dispatched a critical incident stress debriefing team to Baker from Iqaluit Monday.

The four members of the team were scheduled to meet with all those who had participated in the search for the two men while a minister and a mental health worker meet with the grieving families.