Saskatchewan

Mayor of Humboldt calls death of girl, 7, two adults who fell through ice 'extremely tragic'

2 others were taken to hospital

Posted: November 06, 2023
Last Updated: November 06, 2023

The mayor of Humboldt, Sask., says Saturday was a "sad day" for the town of approximately 6,000 residents after three people, including a child, died after falling through the ice on nearby Humboldt Lake. 

"The loss of one life is tragic, but the loss of three is extremely tragic," said Michael Behiel on Monday.

The three people were among five who fell through the ice at Humboldt Lake, which is also known as Stoney Lake and located about 115 kilometres east of Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Coroners Service confirmed that the deceased included a seven-year-old girl and two men, ages 28 and 38.

RCMP responded at approximately 2:20 p.m. CST on Saturday after receiving reports that multiple people had fallen through the ice at the lake.

First responders were only able to recover three of the five people seen falling into the lake. One of them, the seven-year-old girl, was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman and another girl were taken to a nearby hospital. An RCMP recovery team later found the bodies of the two men.

"The young girl is part of the family of Humboldt and you know they're all roots from around this area, if not directly in Humboldt," said Behiel.

Shelby Rushton, provincial CEO of the Lifesaving Society, described the news as "a real gut punch."

"It's a reminder that we all need to keep safe around ice and know that this time of year, we've only had two weeks of cold weather. So we don't have enough ice thickness to safely be on the ice," Rushton said. 

Behiel echoed Rushton's comments.

He urged people to obey water safety rules, watch for the signs that are posted and not to venture out on ice if it is not safe to do so. 

"If you're not sure, don't go. Better to err on the side of caution than to have a tragic event happen," Beheil said. 

WATCH | 2 adults and a child dead after falling through ice at Humboldt Lake: 

Rushton said it's rare to hear of drowning deaths at this time of year.

"We hear a lot of near misses, especially with dog walkers. They go out on the ponds and their dog tries to go after Canada geese, and they get in trouble. But we don't necessarily hear of fatalities at this time of year from going through ice."

The best thing to do if you see someone who has fallen through the ice is call 911, said Rushton.

"If you're going to go out there and rescue someone, you're putting too much weight on [the ice]. We don't want to lose more than one, just like we did this weekend."

RCMP say that because the incident is not considered criminal, they will not be releasing further information on the identities of the people involved.

The coroner's office is investigating the deaths.