Stranded Iqaluit hunter walks barefoot on ice for 3 hours

Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 2:56 PM - Two Nunavut hunters from Iqaluit are recovering after their snowmobile broke through the ice and plunged into frigid water Monday while fishing in Baffin Island.

Joseph Monteith and Kelly Akapaleapik, both in their 30s, had packed appropriately for their hunting trip -- including a satellite phone and SPOT device -- but unpredictable conditions on Frobisher Bay caused the ice to buckle underneath them.

While submerged in water, Akapaleapik's boots quickly filled with water and weighed him down, so he kicked them off.

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"Your rubber boots can be very heavy if they fill with water," Jimmy Akavak, chair of Iqaluit's search and rescue group, told the CBC. 

"Kelly kicked them off right after they went in the water and that made him get closer to his buddy Joseph who had gotten out of the ice first after some struggle."

Akavak credit's Monteith with saving his friend's life.

File photo courtesy: Wikipedia Commons.

"Joseph did a great thing. He pulled his belt off his waist, and he was leaning or reaching towards the water so that he could throw it to Kelly who was still in the water struggling to get out."

Once freed from the water the men had to walk for three hours, on ice, in search of safety. Akavak was forced to make the journey barefoot.

According to the CBC a cold northern wind pelted the men, who were wet, cold and without protective gear, as they walked and later settled down for the night.

"It's basically a miracle they survived," Akavak told the CBC.

Rescue teams found the pair thanks to the last signal sent out by their SPOT device.

Monteith was is reasonably good shape, but Akapaleapik was going in and out of shock.

By the time they were recovered the men had spent 20 hours outside. Both were taken to the hospital and are expected to completely recover.

Geetalook Kakee, an Iqaluit hunter, told the CBC ice conditions can change quickly this time of year and is warning people in the area to carefully monitor the conditions.

Source: CBC

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