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Search heats up for two missing Iqaluit men

Twin Otter, Hercules join hunt for lost snowmobilers

SARA MINOGUE

Mickey Akavak fuels up outside the Iqaluit Wildlife Office before joining about 50 other volunteers in a massive search and rescue this past Wednesday. Akavak got the day off from his job at Nasittuq Corporation to search for two men who had been missing since Sunday. (PHOTO BY SARA MINOGUE)

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Snowmobiles and kamotiks competed with the noon rush-hour traffic at Iqaluit's four corners on Wednesday as volunteers poured into the local wildlife office to join the search for two men missing since Sunday.

Mickey Akavak was one of several volunteers filling up his snowmobile from gasoline drums, while inside, Corp. Jimmy Akavak briefed two pilots conducting an air search.

As of our press-time this past Wednesday, Ed Norman, 33, and Todd Reid, 27, had been missing since heading out on the land around noon on Mothers' Day.

A broad ground search-and-rescue was called after family members reported that the men still weren't back at 7:30 the next morning.

The men hadn't told anybody where they were going. They were driving a white Polaris XC 600 and a black 600 Arctic Cat. Neither had rifles.

The search continued until wet snow and wind reduced visibility on Tuesday. Search organizers called a halt on sending out new volunteers for about two hours during the minor storm, but several people who had already headed out on Monday were still scouring the land for the missing men.

By Wednesday the skies had cleared, and by noon, approximately 60 volunteers were expected to take part in the search throughout the day.

"They could have ended up anywhere," Jimmy Akavak said on Wednesday morning.

"It's a waiting game right now," Akavak said later that afternoon. "We still don't have a general direction."

A Twin Otter from Kenn Borek Air and a Hercules from the Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax were both searching for the men by air.

On Wednesday afternoon, volunteers were still being asked to call 979-7800 or show up at the Wildlife Office to join a search team and be assigned to an area. Hunters or joyriders heading out on the land were being asked to report their whereabouts to avoid confusion.

Donations of bannock and other supplies for the volunteers are welcome.

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