Snowmobiler survives cold water exposure on Manitowik Lake

On January 8, 2021, at approximately 9:40 p.m., members of the SE OPP Detachment were made aware of an overdue snowmobiler in the area of Manitowik Lake near Wawa. With assistance from an MNR Conservation Officer, officers attended the last known location of the missing person. A search of the area that night using snowmobiles was unsuccessful.

The next morning, an aerial search was made, and a single snowmobile track going off of the frozen lake surface onto a vast expanse of open water was found. While searching the area, officers noticed a set of tracks and a helmet on the ice over a kilometer away from where the sled initially went onto the open water.

Tracing the tracks, officers observed a large plume of smoke coming from the shoreline. The media release explained, that, “As they approached, they observed the missing person standing outside a cabin waving to them. The letters “SOS” (written in coffee grounds) were also observed in the snow.”

The person was extracted, taken to hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and later released.