OPP North Bay comm centre helps in rescue

A fishing party marooned on the Hudson Bay coast has been rescued with the help of the OPP communications centre in North Bay.

Further information is included in the following OPP news release:
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(Peawanuk, ON) On the 19th of August at about 1221 hours the Kapuskasing OPP received a call from the Peawanuk Emergency Response requesting assistance in rescuing three children, aged 9-13, and two adults from the Sutton River area, east of Peawanuk, on the Hudson Bay Coast.

The family members were on a four-day fishing trip. On the third day the 50 km/hr north wind and heavy rain forced the group to seek shelter and they became stranded on a peninsula on the Sutton River.

Although their boat and belongings were lost in the overnight storm one of the adults was able to call the Peawanuk Emergency Response for help using a satellite phone. He expressed his concern about the danger the family faced from the tide that was expected to crest by about 1900 hours. There was a real possibility that the boggy peninsula would be swapped by the combination of high-tide and large waves and the group was already very cold and wet.

The OPP Communication Centre in North Bay coordinated rescue efforts and at approximately 1745 hours the OPP with the assistance of an MNR Bell Ranger helicopter flew out of Moosonee and were able to locate and transport the stranded people to safety. Two JRCC Trenton aircraft acted as search and rescue backup.

No injuries were sustained.