On July 3, 2012, at about 11:30pm, Thompson RCMP received a report of 3 overdue boaters, two men and a woman, on Paint Lake, located in the Paint Lake Provincial Park, south of Thompson, MB.
Police say that early in the morning of July 4, 2012, a Manitoba Conservation helicopter performed an aerial search of the general area but did not locate the boaters. Two members of the “D” Division RCMP North District Crime Reduction/Enforcement Support Team were dispatched to the location and performed a search using an police vessel.
The RCMP boat searched for over six hours and covered approximately 120 km before locating the stranded boaters. RCMP report that they were in good condition and uninjured and were returned to safety by police.
RCMP searchers were advised that the boaters had been stranded for about 16 hours after running out of gas with no means of communication.
RCMP reminds the public to practice safe boating, advise family and friends of the planned direction of travel and ensure to have all required safety equipment on board, including enough fuel for the planned trip.
