On August 2, 2012, at about 11pm, Poplar River RCMP were advised that a boat with four occupants, two adult males, an adult female and an 8-year-old child, were overdue arriving in Norway House, Manitoba.
Investigation indicated that the boat had left Poplar River on August 2, 2012, bound for Norway House at about noon and was due to arrive around 4pm. The boat did not arrive and police were contacted at about 11pm.
The Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton and Canadian Coast Guard were notified by RCMP. A Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules Search and Rescue aircraft and crew was deployed from 17 Wing in Winnipeg and were on scene searching at approximately 4am in the morning.
At about 6:30pm, a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules Search and Rescue aircraft located the overdue boaters. A radio was dropped to their location. A boat involved in the search of the missing boaters was redirected to their location. All passengers safely boarded the rescue boat from Poplar River.
Indications are that the boaters had mechanical difficulties.
The RCMP Poplar River would like to thank the Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, the Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules Search and Rescue aircraft crew, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship for the use of an helicopter, the RCMP Search and Rescue Team for the guidance and the many civilian volunteers involved in the search and rescue efforts.
