An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an assistant commissioner, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
Manitoba RCMP are investigating after a 71-year-old fisherman from Buffalo Point First Nation was reported missing on Lake of the Woods.
Police say the man went out earlier in the day on December 16, travelling by side-by-side to his ice fishing shack located about five kilometres north of the Buffalo Point Marina. He was reported missing later that evening at around 8:50 p.m.
Officers responded immediately but were unable to search the ice overnight due to poor weather, low light and areas of open water. The following morning, RCMP search and rescue teams joined the effort, using a drone to conduct an aerial search.
Drone footage revealed tracks leading from the shoreline to the fishing shack and then toward a pressure ridge in the ice. Investigators believe the side-by-side broke through the ice at that location, with the driver unable to escape before the vehicle went under.
The investigation is ongoing.
