'My heart just sunk': Divers find body during search for missing Sagkeeng snowmobilers - Action News
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Manitoba

'My heart just sunk': Divers find body during search for missing Sagkeeng snowmobilers

A volunteer dive crew is in Manitoba's Sagkeeng First Nation to find two people who disappeared last November while attempting to ride their snowmobile across the river.

HEART dive team found snowmobile in stretch of Winnipeg River near mouth of Lake Winnipeg, chief says

In November, searchers from Sagkeeng First Nation dragged the open parts of the Winnipeg River in search of the man and woman who disappeared while snowmobiling. A volunteer dive team joined the search after the ice froze over. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

Members of a volunteer dive team pulled a body from the frigid waters of the Winnipeg River as a months-long search for two missing snowmobilers continues in Sagkeeng First Nation.

Sagkeeng ChiefDerrickHenderson confirmed divers with theHutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) recovered the body Wednesday afternoon in the community, not far from where the river andLake Winnipeg meet.

Henderson said the identity of the person hasn't yet been confirmed, but it is suspected to be one of two snowmobilers who were last seen Nov. 20.

"It was pretty disheartening when I got the news," said Henderson. "My heart just sunk."

Henderson said he called family of the missing man and woman to let them know a body was found Wednesday.

"It's prettydifficult, but you know,we'll overcome it," he said."This is a family that needs support and we will be there for them."

A coroner is now expected to examine the body, he added.

The finding comes days after HEARTlocated what they believed to be the snowmobile the missing man and woman were riding.

HEART found the snowmobile Sunday using an underwater camera, said volunteer PaulMaendel.

Manuel Maendel lowers the underwater camera down through a hole in the ice on the Winnipeg River. (Supplied by Paul Mendael)

Maendel, who has been volunteering with HEART for about 10 years,credited Minnesota-based TomCrossmanfor operatingthe special camera that helpedlocate the body.

"He is bringing a lot of expertise to this and without him it wouldn't be possible to do what we're doing," saidMaendel, praising an overall "good combination of prayer and technology and volunteers" for the finding.

Members of the HEART dive team and another volunteer look at the images produced by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) as they search for evidence of the two snowmobilers who disappeared in November outside Sagkeeng First Nation. (Submitted by Chief Derrick Henderson)

Henderson has been out with volunteers searching the past four days and plans to join them again Thursday as the search continues.

Sagkeeng is about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.