Tuktoyaktuk man rescued after fall through ice on snowmobile

A 41-year-old man from Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., was helped home by search and rescue volunteers after falling through ice Sunday while out on his snowmobile.

He was about three and a half hours southeast from Tuktoyaktuk near Urquhart Lake when he broke through the ice and into water.

The man used a satellite phone to call RCMP for help at 2:36 p.m. Police say he was wet from the waist down and did not have any spare clothing but was able to start a fire.

He was not able to get his snowmobile out of the ice and water.

A ground search and rescue team from Tuktoyaktuk located him and brought him back to his home. Police say he did not require medical attention.

Tuktoyaktuk RCMP, Tuktoyaktuk Ground Search and Rescue, IRIDIUM Global Communication, and the Inuvik Civil Air Search and Rescue Association all helped in the man's rescue.