It took almost 10 hours from when the RCMP were first alerted to find four missing teens who had gone tubing down Shell River, north of Inglis, Manitoba, which is about 120 kilometres southeast of Yorkton. Prairie Mountain RCMP reports that officers were notified about the four missing 16- and 17-year-olds just before midnight on Sunday. They were told three girls and a boy had gone tubing without telling anyone and hadn’t yet returned, and they hadn’t been heard from since 2 Sunday afternoon.

RCMP, the local fire department and EMS began to search while local crop planes circled the area and farmers on ATVs searched on the ground. The fire department had a boat in the water and the RCMP drone was in the air. Around 4 Monday morning, the drone found three youths through thermal imaging. They weren’t physically injured.

Later, a deflated pink flamingo tube the girl still missing was using was located, so the search focused in that area and officers drove nearby with sirens on. The teen came out of the bush when she heard them around 9:30 Monday morning. She had minor physical injuries and was transported to hospital. RCMP say none of the teens were wearing life jackets and it appears alcohol was involved.

Corporal Brett Church of the Prairie Mountain RCMP advises, “If you are heading out on the water, you need to tell someone where you are going to be and the route you plan to take. It is also important to recognize that water is unpredictable and that a floatie is not a life jacket; a floatie will not save your life if you get into trouble on the water. Please be careful out there.”

photo credit: Manitoba RCMP