Yellowknife are reminding residents to respect winter road closures after a search and rescue operation located multiple overdue travellers, including a child, stranded on the winter road system near MacKay Lake, say police.
Three groups of travellers, some from the Tlicho region and some from the Yellowknife area, were located Tuesday unharmed and without any reports of injuries after Yellowknife launched a search and rescue effort earlier that day.
The MacKay Lake area is about 250 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.
Mounties received reports of overdue travellers around 8 a.m. Tuesday from the GNWT and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR). The overdue parties were believed to be travelling SA国际影视传媒渙n, or near the now-closed Winter Road Joint Venture," which leads to the diamond mines.
The condition of the winter road, impacted by recent warm weather, coupled with concerns about temperatures that were due to plummet overnight, police say there was an SA国际影视传媒渦rgency to locateSA国际影视传媒� the overdue travellers.
After deploying a helicopter to the MacKay Lake area around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, a search of the area located SA国际影视传媒渢wo partiesSA国际影视传媒� around 2:30 p.m. They were found on an access road east of MacKay Lake. Four adults and one child were transported via helicopter by .
The remaining overdue travellers were later retrieved on a winter road just south of Lockhart Lake. Police state they were able to return to Yellowknife on SA国际影视传媒渢heir own accord.SA国际影视传媒� They werenSA国际影视传媒檛 injured during the ordeal.
The Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road Joint Venture has been closed since March 31.
SA国际影视传媒淲e are thankful the overdue travellers were located without incident, and returned to the Yellowknife area,SA国际影视传媒� stated spokesperson Marie York-Condon in a news release.
SA国际影视传媒淲e cannot impress enough, the need for travellers to respect winter road closures and avoid travelling on the closed roads.SA国际影视传媒�
thanked the GNWT, ENR, Great Slave Helicopters and Acasta Heliflight for assisting in the search and rescue operation.
SA国际影视传媒� ask all travellers to respect the closing of the winter roads and avoid travelling on them,SA国际影视传媒� added York-Condon.
