3 men drown after rescue attempt goes wrong on Churchill River near Leaf Rapids
3 men from O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation died after 1 fell off dock
Three men from O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation drowned near Leaf Rapids Friday night, after one fell into the Churchill River and two others tried to rescue him, RCMP say.
The three men, age 49, 51 and 54, were on a dock at a remote fishing cabin near Leaf Rapids when one fell into the water, RCMP said in a news release.
The other two went into the water to save him, but all three started to struggle, the release said.
People nearby pulled two of the men to shore and one died. The other was given first aid but later died.
The third man was not found.
Leaf Rapids RCMP responded to a report about the three drownings at around 10:55 p.m.
The RCMP underwater recovery team found the third man's body on Sunday.
Leaf Rapids RCMP continue to investigate.
O-Pipon-Na-Piwin is a First Nation of about 1,000 people on Southern Indian Lake, almost 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. It's about 75 kilometres northeast of Leaf Rapids.