Tragedy on Great Slave Lake as searchers have recovered the body of a missing kayaker near Hay River.
Northwest Territories Chief Coroner Cathy Menard has identified the victim as a 30-year-old male tourist.
She added that he was not originally from Canada.
RCMP say he had been living in Ontario.
According to a news release from RCMP, officers in Hay River received a call at about 9:30 Wednesday morning advising them that a man travelling by kayak on the lake had not checked in with family members as planned.
Together with Fort Resolution RCMP they organized a search engaging partners Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), from the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA), in Hay River.
Police state the search centred on the southern shore of Great Slave Lake, believed to be the last known location of kayaker.
At approximately 6:00 pm Wednesday, an overturned kayak was spotted by CCGA members, Mounties said.
Search and Rescue technicians onboard an RCAF CC-130 Hercules, which had flown in from Winnipeg, spotted the deceased a distance from the kayak.
Police say officers and coast guard members retrieved the deceased male and the kayak.
RCMP have not said whether he was wearing a life jacket.
The deceased was transported to Hay River.
A post mortem examination has been ordered to try to determine the cause of death.
Mounties are assisting the office of the chief coroner in the investigation.
“It is with sadness we report the recovery of the deceased on Great Slave Lake. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased man,” states Sgt Ken Beard, Acting RCMP South District Officer. “Great Slave Lake is large and can be challenging to search. We can’t thank our partners enough. We value the partnerships we have in the North and their support in searches in our vast Territory.”
Mounties have not said where he set out kayaking from or where he was going.
