Rankin Inlet hunter thankful for rescue after snowmobile sinks into ice

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 7:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: March 12

A huntsman from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, says he's fortunate to beryllium live aft his snowmobile went done the crystal astir 20 kilometres extracurricular of municipality past week. 

Jackie Nakoolak headed retired connected the onshore Friday evening to hunt for caribou. He had waited until white-out conditions had cleared truthful that helium could spot the way helium was using, knowing that the upwind the pursuing time was expected to beryllium nice. 

It was acheronian erstwhile helium came upon Meliadine Lake – and that's erstwhile things started to spell wrong. 

Nakoolak spoke to CBC News successful some English and Inuktitut astir what happened. He realized helium was travelling done overflow connected the ice, and truthful helium picked up velocity to get done it.

"The crystal … started breaking," helium recalled. The snowmobile started to sink, truthful helium stopped the centrifugal and helium climbed connected apical of it. 

"I went connected apical of the Ski-Doo, conscionable basal determination possibly a bully five, three, 4 minutes, wondering what to do. Do I leap to the side?" 

Nakoolak disquieted that if helium jumped to the broadside of the machine, he'd spell done the ice. So instead, helium jumped disconnected the backmost and headed toward his sled – wherever helium had his GPS. 

"I was up to my hep … walking connected the water," helium said. He struggled to get to the sled, but yet was capable to scope it – soaked. 

As helium searched for his GPS connected the sled, helium said helium heard the dependable of an approaching snowmobile – drawn by the airy of his headlamp. It was a young huntsman named Nathan Tulugak.

"He was travelling connected the broadside of the hill, not connected the trail," said Nakoolak. "I told him, don't, don't travel to the ice, it's precise thin." 

Nakoolak directed Tulugak to an country that was much solid. Then, helium got disconnected the sled and tried making his mode toward his rescuer. 

"I slipped again. I couldn't get up. So I person to crawl to the coagulated area." 

There, helium waited for Tulugak to assistance him up.

"He brought maine to his sled and I asked him, I request mitts, my mitts are soaked." 

Thankfully, Tulugak had an other pair. With some men aboard the moving snowmobile, Tulugak "took off" to Rankin Inlet astatine "full blast," said Nakoolak. When they got there, helium said helium was acold – but it wasn't excessively bad. 

He said helium doesn't deliberation helium would person made it, if it hadn't been for Tulugak's help. 

Nakoolak said helium hauled his frozen snowmobile from the water a mates of days later.