Tourists stranded on ice floe in Arctic Canada return to shore
Twenty tourists stranded on an ice floe drifting in Admiralty Inlet near Arctic Bay in Canada’s eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut, are safely back on shore, rescue officials say.
The tourists, with the adventure group Arctic Kingdom, got stuck Tuesday after a large ice floe broke away, but rescue officials told CBC that the 20 walked back to shore after ice shifted and moved back toward land.
There are no reports of any injuries.
A helicopter will be sent to pick up the tourists later Wednesday, said Niore Iqalukjuak, a search and rescue co-ordinator in Arctic Bay.
In the meantime, they are waiting at a small cabin, where there are emergency supplies and food.
Canadian Forces had dropped off emergency supplies to the tourists after a Hercules aircraft from the southern Canadian city of Winnipeg arrived at the scene.
“They’ve been able to locate the area and the folks that are stranded on the ice floe, and they’ve been able to drop survival rescue kits, which include large life-rafts as well as other survival equipment,” Maj. Steve Neta, with the Royal Canadian Air Force, said Tuesday.
News of the tourists’ return to shore came after another group of 11 local hunters who were also stranded, on another ice floe near the tourists, made it back to land Tuesday about 4 p.m. local time.
The hunters crossed over onto land after the floe split and the section they were on floated close to shore.
