Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Norman Wells (Aug 05/02) - RCMP discovered the body of a canoeist last Saturday after his canoe tipped over while going through a canyon on the Mountain River.

The victim, 58-year-old Lorne Carl Haacke of Whitby, Ont., was canoeing the river from Dusty Lake.

RCMP Const. J.W. Gilbert Rose of the Norman Wells detachment said the victim's friend was on land waiting for Haacke to go through the canyon but he did not reappear.

"He looked and looked for his friend on the banks there and he came across four other canoeists about an hour and a half later and they helped him look for (Haacke)," said Rose.

But the group had no luck finding Haacke and decided to head to Norman Wells, about 100 kilometres from their location on Mountain River, to inform the RCMP of his disappearance.

About seven hours later the group finally got in contact with the RCMP and an aerial search began for the missing man.

Two RCMP officers and a pilot discovered Haacke's body approximately eight kilometres from where he was last seen.

The coroner's office and the RCMP are still investigating the accident.