Police and rescue teams continue to search for two Lac La Biche men caught in raging northern river.
Wood Buffalo RCMP and trained search teams are continuing their efforts to locate two Lac La Biche men lost on the Christina River earlier this week.
The pair were part of a group of four Lac La Biche men who set out on June 8 on a trip in two canoes on the Christina River, south of Janvier.
On June 12, family members of the men alerted police that the group had not returned.
Police say that the rising and rushing water levels in the Fort McMurray area over the last week created an immediate concern for the men's safety and an airborne search and rescue team was assembled immediately.
Hours later, two men, a 59-year-old and a 67-year-old, were found on a small island in the middle of the river. A military helicopter from CFB Cold Lake was used to lift the two men to safety. They were treated for minor injuries. Their canoe was found later yesterday, on the Athabasca River near the Firebag River, south of Fort Chipewyan - about 230 kilometres north from their starting point.
Neither the other canoe, nor the two men who were last in it, one 58, the other 66, have been located, but police say the air search has been extensive and is ongoing.
Although many people have offered to assist in the search, regional RCMP say ground searches are too dangerous at this time.
"...the thought is very much appreciated, however given the danger and unpredictability of the waters right now, all access to the rivers is reportedly closed," said Wood Buffalo RCMP Const. Christina Wilkins, explaining that the danger of the fast-moving waters has also halted river search efforts by any sort of official rescue boats. "As a result, we continue to search via air because it is not even safe enough for police boats at this time."
Dangerous water conditions in the Wood Buffalo region have have already lead to serious flooding and even evacuations in many areas. In some locations, roads and paths and bridges in and around northern rivers have been closed to the public due to the threat of collapse.
The Lac La Biche men set out on their trip several days before the storm warnings and river advisories were implemented.
The POST will have more information and details of the search as they become available.
