Conche 'in shock' after snowmobiler dies in fall off cliff
Rescue crews found the man dead on Saturday
People in Conche are mourning the second tragic death in five months.
On Saturday, a 57-year-old man died after his snowmobile went over a high cliff in an area known as the Glass Hole, about three kilometres southeast of the community on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula.
This incident follows the man's brother drowning in October.
"The community's in shock," said Conche Mayor Brendan Fitzpatrick.
He says there is a route nearby, but the area where the man went over is not a place snowmobilers typically travel, as there's no groomed trail.
I can't imagine what the family is going through.- Brendan Fitzpatrick
The Glass Hole is a lookout area on the edge of a cliff, with a view over the ocean, and Fitzpatrick said the drop is about 76 metres.
Roddickton RCMP were called around 6 p.m., and police, the Conche fire department, long range search and rescue, and local residents found the man dead.
The man lived in Conche all his life, Fitzpatrick said, and with two tragedies so close together, it's a tough time for both the family and the community.
"I tell you, it's hard on them," said Fitzpatrick. "It's hard on everybody, so I can't imagine what the family is going through.
"Everybody's in shock, y'know," he said, "and everyone's trying to pull together for the family and everything, and it makes it sad around here."
The man's body was recovered, RCMP said, and the investigation is ongoing.