A photo taken of Bittern Lake on Wednesday. (Submitted photo/ Tina Pelletier)

By Nigel Maxwell

Missing persons

Body of missing boater located at Bittern Lake

Aug 20, 2020 | 5:00 PM

A six-day search for a missing boater at Bittern Lake in Northern Saskatchewan has concluded with some grim news.

Spokespersons for both Prince Albert Grand Council and the HEART rescue team have confirmed for paNOW the body of the 23-year-old man was located Thursday at 11 a.m.

The body was located by the HEART rescue team out of Manitoba, who arrived earlier in the day and were using side sonar imaging technology. Vice president of operations Manuel Maendel told paNOW the body was about ten feet down and about 590 metres from shore.

A photo taken in Prince Albert of the HEART rescue team. (Facebook/ Lorne Stewart)

According to information provided earlier this week by RCMP, eight people went out on a boat last Saturday afternoon. The winds were very high at the time and one of the waves rocked the boat, causing one of the female passengers to fall overboard.

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The man jumped in after her but did not resurface. The woman, along with the six other passengers, made it safely back to shore.

A number of groups and agencies have assisted with the search effort this week including teams from the RCMP, Prince Albert Grand Council, Grandmother’s Bay, and Manitoba. A number of local community members have also helped out. To show their appreciation for the HEART team, representatives from Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) and the PAGC Search team presented the team with gifts, made by a 95-year-old elder.

Representaives from the PAGC Search team stand alongside members from the HEART team. (Submitted photo/ Lorne Stewart)

Montreal Lake RCMP have also released a statement, thanking the work done by local community leaders, as well as Chief and Council, and the respective rescue teams.

“Our thoughts continue to be with the family during this time,” the statement read.

paNOW has chosen not to release the name of the deceased, out of respect for the family.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell