Four Manitoba teens who went missing after they went boating without telling anyone gave their families and local emergency responders a scare, but were found safe after an extensive search conducted by air, land and water, RCMP say.
The four teens, aged 16 and 17, were reported missing late Sunday night, police said in a Tuesday news release.
Three girls and a boy had gone tubing down the Shell River, north of the community of Inglis and west of Riding Mountain National Park. They hadn’t told anyone and hadn’t returned by the time police got the report around 11:50 p.m.
RCMP found one of the teen’s vehicles at Inglis Beach and another at a bridge on Provincial Road 589. Police suspected they started tubing at Provincial Road 589 with the intention of ending up at Inglis Beach, but hadn’t been heard from since 2 p.m. Sunday.
RCMP and local emergency personnel began a search, which also included local crop planes, farmers on ATVs and a fire department boat, as well as RCMP divers, police dog services and a drone.
Thanks to thermal imaging, the drone found three uninjured teens along the river around 4 a.m., RCMP say.
The fourth teen, a 16-year-old girl, wasn’t with them. However, the drone spotted the deflated pink flamingo tube she had used about a kilometre up the river from where the others were spotted.
Searchers continued to look for the girl using a crop duster, a boat and a ground search. Police drove around the area with their sirens on, and the girl followed the sound of the siren, emerging from the bush around 9:30 a.m. She was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
None of the teens were wearing life-jackets or personal floatation devices, and police say it appears that alcohol was involved.
Prairie Mountain RCMP Corp. Brett Church said in Tuesday’s release the incident could have ended much worse. He urged anyone heading out onto the water to let others know where they’re going and what route they plan to take, and to wear life-jackets.