Iqaluit (Apr 24/06) - A snowmobile accident claimed the life of Nunavut's house speaker Jobie Nutarak outside Pond Inlet Saturday morning.

Hunting with two friends 400 kilometres from his home community, Nutarak crashed his snowmachine. Police are not releasing many details of the crash.

RCMP spokesperson Jen Hayward said the two other hunters attempted CPR on Nutarak at the accident scene.

Pond Inlet RCMP were contacted at 11:30 am that morning and attended the scene by helicopter, airlifting the body back to the community that evening.

Word of the accident spread fast Saturday. At a St. John Ambulance ceremony in Iqaluit that evening, Commissioner Ann Meekitjuk Hanson led a moment of silence for Nutarak.

"This is a very sad time," said Hanson at the ceremony. "I ask that we take a moment to remember our friend, Speaker Jobie Nutarak."

The Tunnuniq MLA had been speaker since 2004.