Man Rescued From Ice Floe on Acadian Peninsula

The RCMP assisted Monday night in the rescue of a 48-year-old man trapped on an ice floe off Pointe-Canot, in northern New Brunswick. 

Lameque RCMP received a call shortly before 7 p.m., that someone was possibly trapped on an ice floe, according to Sgt. Stéphane Blanchard.

The exact location was difficult to determine as the caller could only hear someone calling for help, Blanchard said. When police arrived, other people who had gathered along the shore confirmed hearing the shouts for help on the water.

Because of the dark and the fact that the man was drifting on the ice floe meant the location of his calls for help kept changing, adding to the difficulty of finding him.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax had a plane in the area that was able to use a spotlight to illuminate the area helping locate the man. A fire department rescue boat then proceeded in the general area of the man and was able to rescue him.

The 48-year-old man was cold when firefighters found him but was able to return home after being checked out by paramedics, Sgt. Blanchard said. It was believed the man was out fishing when he got trapped on the ice.