A search-and-rescue (SAR) mission ended in success when a young man from Rankin Inlet was found after being lost on the land for three days this past month.
On April 20, Kashtin Simik was travelling alone from Chesterfield Inlet to Rankin Inlet but failed to arrive at his destination.
SAR teams mounted a desperate search for the missing man and located him on the evening of April 23, according to Rankin Inlet Search and Rescue member Wesley Innukshuk.
Simik had run out of gas, he said.
SA国际影视传媒淎ll our searchers did a great job and, thankfully, this search ended on a happy note,SA国际影视传媒� said Innukshuk.
Simik left Chester at about 7:15 p.m. on April 20.
The search was organized when Simik's father phoned Rankin SAR to tell them his son had not returned home.
SA国际影视传媒淗is dad went out and searched for him Saturday morning, but found nothing, so he called us back to say there was no sign of him, so we immediately started our search and rescue,SA国际影视传媒� said Innukshuk.
A helicopter, a Twin Otter plane and about 25 to 30 SAR members from Rankin and Chester were involved in the search.
SA国际影视传媒淗e was spotted by myself, Marlene Tulugak, Simon Naukatsik and the chopper pilot on the helicopter,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
Innukshuk said the rescuers found Simik's snow machine long before they located him.
He said this, hopefully, will be another message to young hunters to never leave their machine and qamutiik if they're broke down on the land.
SA国际影视传媒淚f you have any kind of tools for a shelter, stay with your machine where you broke down or ran out of gas. Just stay put,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲e found his machine right after lunch and we didn't find him until 7:52 p.m. Six or seven hours is an awful long time when you've been on the land for three days.SA国际影视传媒�
Simik was found walking in a northwest direction, away from Rankin, when he was found. He was walking in a circle and almost looped back to his 600 Polaris Classic machine.
SA国际影视传媒淪o, really, he was pretty much out there walking in circles,SA国际影视传媒� said Innukshuk.
Innukshuk said Simik didn't sign-out a SPOT before his trip, nor did he have a GPS or a satellite phone.
He said he left Chester with a full tank of gas and about three to five spare gallons in a jerry can.
SA国际影视传媒淚t was not the best weather for travelling that evening either, with the wind picking up the way it did,SA国际影视传媒� said Innukshuk. SA国际影视传媒淓very search is different and you never know what condition you're going to find the person in. This all goes through your mind while you're out there.SA国际影视传媒�
