Man presumed useless after being swept away throughout canine rescue on North Saskatchewan River

The search was referred to as off Tuesday afternoon for a 55-year-old man who tried to save lots of a canine from the partially thawed North Saskatchewan River earlier than vanishing into the frigid water.

The search and rescue started round 12:30 p.m. at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park, off of Buena Vista Highway in west Edmonton.

It was reported to Edmonton Fireplace Rescue Companies {that a} girl’s canine had run onto the river ice and a person who was additionally strolling his canine stopped to assist, going onto the ice after the canine.

The ice broke and each the person and canine fell into the river. A big search from the bottom and the air shortly acquired underway.

Residents alongside the river adopted the person to maintain him in sight so long as they may, town mentioned, whereas fireplace crews made their manner down the river banks attempting to entry the water.

Seven firefighting items, together with roughly six speedy deployment crafts have been despatched, arrived on the riverbanks inside quarter-hour.

The person was carried down the river in direction of an ice shelf close to the Groat Highway Bridge. Crews tried, however have been unable to rescue the person from the river earlier than dropping sight of him beneath the ice, town mentioned.

Two STARS Air Ambulance responded to the emergency, to assist search from the air.

One chopper that was already dropping a affected person and crew off on the College of Alberta Hospital spent quarter-hour looking the river, earlier than it needed to abort and return to base.

A STARS spokesperson mentioned a second chopper, which had flown in from Grande Prairie to drop off a affected person and crew on the Gray Nuns Hospital, then spent one other 25 minutes serving to with the search earlier than it too needed to go away.

Emergency personnel lined the river financial institution and firefighters with binoculars was seen scanning the water for any signal of the person.

Sadly the person was not discovered.

“It’s with nice disappointment that I verify that the person concerned in at present’s river rescue has not been situated and we’ve since referred to as off the search,” Fireplace Chief Joe Zatylny mentioned.

“On behalf of Edmonton Fireplace Rescue Companies, our ideas exit to the person, their household and associates.”

The tragedy comes after an unseasonably heat winter that noticed Edmonton firefighters responding to extra calls than regular of individuals strolling on the ice of the North Saskatchewan River.

Within the first two weeks of January alone, Edmonton Fireplace Rescue Companies mentioned it responded to seven river rescue calls — an virtually 50 per cent enhance in name quantity in comparison with the identical time interval final yr.

Strolling on the ice is rarely protected, fireplace rescue cautions. The thickness varies as a result of a number of elements, together with continually shifting water, altering river depths, chemical compounds within the water and heat spots close to drainage outflow pipes.

In water that’s near freezing, hypothermia can set in inside minutes and folks’s limbs go numb to the purpose of uselessness.

Even earlier than that, the panic and shock of falling into icy chilly water might be disorienting.

Edmonton Fireplace Rescue says in the event you see somebody who has fallen by, don’t attempt to save them your self: as a substitute, name 911 and meet first responders once they arrive so you possibly can inform them the place the particular person was final seen.

This additionally applies to pets that fall although the ice.

“This can be a tragic reminder of the hazards of the river and that it’s by no means protected to go onto the river ice,” Zatylny mentioned about Tuesday’s incident.

The canine that fell into the river was rescued at 12:56 p.m.

The seek for the person was referred to as off simply earlier than 4 p.m. He has not been recognized, nevertheless Edmonton police mentioned the person was 55 years previous.