Three people died after falling through the ice at Humboldt Lake, just south of Humboldt, Sask., over the weekend.
RCMP, fire crews and local EMS were called around 2:20 p.m. on Saturday after five people were reported to be in the lake.
Mayor of Humboldt Michael Behiel said two girls fell through the ice on the lake and family members died trying to save them.
A woman and a child were taken to a nearby hospital for assessment. Another child was pronounced dead at the scene, and two men did not resurface.
The bodies of the two men were recovered with the help of the RCMP’s underwater recovery team on Sunday.
Police said no further details will be released.
Warman Fire Rescue Fire Chief Russ Austin wanted to send a message about ice safety, saying right now ice is just starting to form on lakes.
“There’s no way of knowing, when ice is forming, what the actual thickness is going to be, and very seldom does it form at an equal thickness in a still water lake,” Austin said.
He said in Warman a lot of people will enjoy the ice on the retention ponds, but people are cautioned away from it until the fire rescue team has had the time to test the ice.
Rob Hogan with the Saskatoon Fire Department said once a person falls through the ice, it can be difficult for first responders to reach them in time.
“It takes away your energy very fast. It is very difficult once you lose that energy, and you’ve lost that feeling in your arms and your legs, to get out onto the ice.”
Hogan said pulling yourself onto the ice can be extremely difficult if you are not trained to do so.
“The ice keeps breaking as you are going, it gets very challenging.”
Austin said lakes and ponds right now may look like there’s ice fully formed across them but stressed that they’re not safe to go on.
“If you live in a community there’s probably a pond near you, or lake or river. Have that supper-time conversation with your kids,” he said.
“It’s just not safe, and it’s not going to be safe for quite a while.”