Missing man pulled out of wilderness
RCMP says he wandered away from airport Wednesday and was lost in the bush
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Published Friday, November 28 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A man was taken to hospital Wednesday after being found wandering in the wilderness north of Long Lake.
The man had reportedly walked away from the Yellowknife Airport at about 10:30 a.m. and was found six hours later cold and apparently suffering from hypothermia, according an RCMP news release.
The man was carrying a cellphone and called a friend when he became lost and the friend then called police, according to RCMP Const. Elenore Sturko. She said a search was launched at about 2 p.m. and a helicopter with an RCMP member aboard located him a few kilometres north of Long Lake at about 4:15 p.m. as darkness approached.
She said the chopper landed and picked the man up.
He was then transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital. Sturko declined to provide any information about the man's condition or why he had wandered off.
"He is not a tourist, but I can't say anything more about him for privacy reasons," said Sturko.
"This incident is not related to any other recent files that we have investigated."
Last month, RCMP initiated a massive search for Japanese tourist Atsumi Yoshikubo after she missed her flight home and reportedly wandered down the Ingraham Trail.
She was first reported missing on Oct 27. Police called off the search and rescue operation Nov. 4 after concluding Yoshikubo must be dead after deliberately attempting to avoid being found. Police have not said exactly how they had arrived at that conclusion.
Although the active search and rescue operation for her was deactivated, Sturko said the missing person file remains open and police continue to investigate her disappearance. Sturko did not classify her presumed
death as a suicide.
