A boating tragedy has resulted in one man dying and another going missing since the beginning of Thanksgiving weekend, the stated on Oct. 15.

During the early morning hours of Oct. 12, local boaters reported to police the discovery of one deceased male and a capsized boat off the coast of Big Island, 30 km southwest of the community.

The previous day, two men were seen travelling west along the coast of Big Island to find soapstone. At 10 p.m., the men used VHF radio to communicate that they were on their way back to the community, but they never made it. 

The search, which included the use of a Canadian Coast Guard Cormorant helicopter, then continued in hopes of finding the other individual.

On Oct. 13, several local boaters travelled to the search area to assist. At 6:15 p.m, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., advised Kimmirut that its involvement in the search had ceased.

Kimmirut continue to work in cooperation with local search and rescue volunteers in their efforts to locate the missing individual. The Kimmirut would like to thank those who have assisted during this difficult time.