Four people are safely back on dry land after having to be rescued from Halfway Lake on Saturday evening.
Sudbury OPP Const. Michelle Coulombe said the call for help came in at 6:09 p.m. on June 6. The call came from the middle of the lake, where the party of four had drifted in two dinghies after high winds blew them away from shore. The group had launched from the beach at Halfway Lake.
The group had no paddles, only three lifejackets and a single cellphone with only five per cent left on its battery when the call for help was made.
The OPP called Greater Sudbury Police Service for assistance in the search, and the service’s Rural Unit was able to mobilize and get to Halfway Lake Provincial Park quickly.
GSPS spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said two officers from the GSPS Rural Unit were dispatched.
By 7:53 p.m., the four people had been located by GSPS officers.
“The four individuals were subsequently located at the south end of the lake, which was over two kilometres from the beach where they had entered the water,” Dunn said.
Based on the information provided, it’s not known how long the group had been floating out on the lake, but they were very cold by the time officers got to them.
Paramedics were waiting on shore to check the four. Besides being cold, and possibly a little sunburnt, they were all in good health, police said.
One of the four was charged for not wearing a lifejacket.
GSPS reminds the public that, if you’re going out on the water to:
Wear your life jacket;
Ensure you have the proper safety equipment on board;
Check weather forecast prior to entering the water, and;
Never underestimate the power of current. Swimmers or waders can be swept away in an instant, particularly if non-swimmers or weak swimmers get caught by current in rivers or out of their depth in abrupt drop-offs.
