Saturday was marked with with tragedy in the community of Humboldt. Humboldt and Lanigan RCMP, in cooperation with the Humboldt Fire Department and local EMS, responded to an emergency call just after 2:20 p.m., alerting them to a grave situation involving several adults and children.
It was reported that numerous individuals had fallen through the ice into the cold waters of the lake. Authorities say five people struggled in the water. The swift and heroic response of officers and emergency personnel led to them successfully pulling three individuals from the icy waters.
Among those rescued, an adult female and a female child were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Tragically, another child, a young female, did not survive the ordeal and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Search and rescue efforts continued, with two adult males still unaccounted for. The Saskatchewan RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) took up the task of searching the depths of the lake to locate these missing individuals.
On November 5, shortly after 5 p.m., the URT members were able to recover both adult males, but sadly, they were found deceased, marking the end of a long and painstaking search effort.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service has assumed control of the investigation, as this case is considered a sudden death incident without any criminal element involved.
As a result, no further details, including the names of the deceased and anyone else involved, will be released, respecting the privacy of the family as a community mourns the tragedy.
This serves as a poignant reminder of the ever-present dangers of venturing onto thin ice, especially during this time of year.