Search and rescuers are still working feverishly to find two boys who went missing in Nutimik Lake over the weekend.
The boys, 10 and 13, were reported to have been swept into the rapids at Sturgeon Falls on Saturday.
“The 10-year-old had slipped on the rocks and had entered the water, and instinctively, the 13-year-old went in to try and retrieve him,” said Staff Sgt. Cory Meyers.
“Both ended up getting caught in the current, getting washed down the falls.”
RCMP were originally called to the Sturgeon Falls Trail around 12:40 p.m. for a possible drowning.
On Monday, RCMP said officers from the Lac du Bonnet detachment, the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) and the Manitoba RCMP Marine Unit were all helping with the search and rescue efforts.
A drone has also been deployed to help search the water and shorelines and volunteers are using their own boats to help.
Meyers said, given it has been two days of searching with no luck yet, this incident has likely turned into a recovery operation.
“It’s pointing in that direction. We obviously don’t ever want to lose out hope on anything, but all indications is that folks did see the boys go under the water and did not resurface.”
Meyers added some clothing that is believed to belong to the older boy has been recovered. He said crews have double-backed in that area to ensure nothing was missed.
Paul Maendel with HEART said they have a boat in the water that is equipped with sonar to help search for the boys.
“It’s challenging in the conditions there because the water is so rapid. It is moving the boat around quite a bit,” said Maendel. “So in the same couple of feet, you will be moving left and right and it’ll move you forward, move you backward. It’s not a steady current; it’s pulsating. The river is very much alive and fighting you every step of the way.”
He said where the boys fell in, the current is making it really difficult to use all the tools they have.
“We’ll need a miracle here. If the audience can just say a prayer for the family, this is what it’ll take. Some divine intervention here.”
‘Very turbulent water’: Lodge owner warns people about the area
Allison Baker-Thiessen, one of the owners of Nutimik Lodge, said she has currently set up a room for the family to stay while the search efforts go on.
She said the boys came out with their dad for a day trip to the area on Saturday.
When the report came in about a possible drowning, Baker-Thiessen said RCMP called their lodge as well, as it sits right on the water and there is always a boat available for them.
“We sometimes can be the first emergency people out there,” she said.
She and her husband were in the lodge store when they got the call and immediately jumped into action.
“I looked at (my husband) and I said, ‘Boat, now.’ At that time, he ran, took off, got into the boat and I then got on our walkie-talkies, and I got our staff member to jump onto the boat with him.”
To get to Sturgeon Falls, Baker-Thiessen said it’s about a 45-minute hike from the campground.
She notes there is not much protection in the area to keep people out of the water and it can be very dangerous over there.
“It’s part of the Winnipeg river system. It is very turbulent water. It doesn’t matter if it’s low water or it’s high water. That water is extremely dangerous. We say to everybody, every year, do not go to the water’s edge. Do not. The rocks are slippery, whether they’re dry or not.”
She is hoping the community can come together and find a way to make the area safer for everyone so an incident like this doesn’t happen again.
Baker-Thiessen and her husband Harry Thiessen have set up a GoFundMe for the family of the boys.
The post says money is being raised to help cover some of the funeral expenses.
A goal of $20,000 has been set and as of 4:30 p.m. Monday, over $15,000 has been raised.
Deadly weekend involving young people: RCMP
Manitoba RCMP said it was a tragic weekend in the province as there were multiple fatal incidents involving young people.
Along with the drowning incident, RCMP said there were three other situations that officers responded to in a 39-hour period.
At around 3:40 a.m. on July 18, an 18-year-old man died in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 20 near Road 156 North in the RM of Dauphin.
RCMP believe the driver lost control rounding a corner and went into a ditch.
That same day around 2:50 p.m. RCMP said a 16-year-old boy from Virden died in a crash in Oak Lake. RCMP said the boy was riding his dirt bike with friends when he hit an unmarked guywire.
Then on July 19, around 9:30 p.m. RCMP were called to a gravel pit in the RM of Hanover for reports of an 18-year-old man swimming in the pit and he didn’t resurface.
“The death of any young person is a tragedy that devastates their families, friends and entire communities. We offer our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by these tragedies,” said RCMP spokesperson Melanie Roussel in a news release.
“We know summers in Manitoba have so much to offer, but we are urging everyone to take precautions and make safe choices—whether you are on the water, on the road or riding off-road.”
