OPP locate missing boaters on Dog River

OPP News Release

(THUNDER BAY, ON) On Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at approximately 11:40 pm, officers from the Thunder Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call advising of two missing boaters on Dog River, east of Upsala.

A female and an elderly male had gone fishing on Dog River and were supposed to return home by the dinner hour but had not yet returned.  

At approximately 3:20 am, Thursday morning, a family member and an officer attended the boat launch and located the truck and boat trailer that belonged to the missing boaters.

Early Thursday morning, OPP Marine Unit officers attended the boat launch and began a search for the boaters on Dog River. At approximately 11:15 am, officers with the OPP Air Service were flying to a destination west of Thunder Bay, when they were requested to fly over the Dog River area to conduct an aerial search of the river. Shortly after, the two boaters were located.

A helicopter from Wisk Air was utilized to transport officers to the scene to locate and rescue the boaters. Once located, the boaters advised officers they became lost on Dog River and then ran out of gas.

The OPP Marine Unit towed their boat back to the boat launch. The female and elderly male were reported to be in good health and flown back to Thunder Bay.