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Kimmirut mayor missing after caribou hunt
Canadian Ranger sergeant was alone on snowmobileCasey Lessard Northern News Services Published Friday, December 2, 2011
A search plane called in to find Kootoo spotted a dim light in the area where rescuers expected him to be, RCMP Sgt. Jimmy Akavak said. "It could be a snowmobile light or a flashlight, but we have not confirmed what kind of light it was," he said, noting the light was seen in a valley or crevice. "It doesn't look like it was one of the searchers, so it could be Mr. Kootoo signalling to searchers. They did fly by it several times but kept missing it because of the hilly terrain, and in the darkness they had a hard time relocating it. The airplane, chartered by Nunavut Emergency Management, was carrying Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) spotters and local searchers. Thursday was the first day with decent visibility since Kootoo went missing, and using the aircraft allows searchers to cover a much greater area of land, Akavak said. The search began Nov. 27, the day Kootoo was expected to run out of supplies. Although Kootoo was not the only person hunting for caribou, and others saw him that day, he was hunting alone. "There were people up there too, and they saw him, but I heard that he didn't find any caribou so he went further up to go look for some," community economic development officer Qapik Ikkidluak said. Weather worked against the quest to find the mayor, with fresh snow covering his tracks, blizzard conditions stifling progress, and whiteout conditions Wednesday delaying a planned air search until late that afternoon. Volunteers set up a base camp in the area he was last seen near Qurvik Lake, northwest of Kimmirut, to allow them to stay overnight instead of returning to the community each day for supplies. "It was too hard to go back and forth without finding anything," said Ikkidluak, who is one of those searching. Between 40 and 50 people – including spotters, pilots, ground searchers, operations managers, and five searchers from Iqaluit – are involved. Outside forces will not be called until searchers feel they have exhausted all of their options. "From day one – since Saturday evening, Sunday – the weather has not been very clear," Akavak said. With clear weather Thursday, it was hoped searchers would return with more information, "or find Mr. Kootoo and he'll be fine or be attended to at a nursing station," he said. Kootoo, a Canadian Ranger sergeant with years of experience on the land, became mayor in late 2008, months after he was the subject of another search-and-rescue. Leading a team of Rangers during a dog sled race, Kootoo went ahead of the group and lost control of his snowmobile after cresting a ridge, crashing the sled and breaking his pelvis. He covered his head with snow to conserve heat and shelter himself from the wind, a move that saved him but made the three-day search more difficult, Nunavut News/North reported at the time. "He's an experienced hunter, but on the other hand he's been hurt before and his walking and strength are limited," as a result of the previous incident, Akavak said. Ikkidluak said the mayor has a heart condition, too. "But we're hopeful he's okay," Akavak added, "and that Saturday he caught a caribou and he has some food. We're dealing with an experienced hunter. We're being cautious and prepared for anything." "We're keeping our hopes up, that's for sure," said Perry Ikkidluak, who is directing searchers by radio. Kootoo's son is among the searchers, and the community is rallying around his family, Akavak said. "At times like this, people go out of their way and come together."
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