Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Pond Inlet (July 01/02) - An 18-year old Pond Inlet man was fatally injured last Tuesday while collecting eggs at Cape Graham Moore on Bylot Island. Ruby Koonoo died June 25 when he lost his footing on a cliff and fell about 24 metres.

Const. John Tagak of the Pond Inlet RCMP detachment said Koonoo's brother and a third person immediately tried to resuscitate him.

"The information we have is that he had stopped breathing when his brother and friend got to him," said Tagak. "They did artificial resuscitation and continued that until they couldn't do it any more."

A helicopter with a nurse on board was dispatched to the area, but by 6:10 p.m., the search and rescue team in the community learned that all efforts to revive Koonoo had failed.

As of last Wednesday morning, Tagak had not yet had the opportunity to speak with Koonoo's brother or friend because they were en route from Bylot Island by snowmobile.

He said he wanted to give the family time to grieve before interviewing them about the incident.

Tagak was unsure if formal counselling services were established to help the community deal with the tragedy, but he said there are several trained counsellors available in Pond Inlet.

Bylot Island is a popular egg-picking spot for Pond Inlet.