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Abandoned car retrieved from ice off Nova Scotia shore by helicopter, snowmobiles

It took two levels of government and a local fire department to retrieve the abandoned car from the ice on the Northumberland Strait near River John. N.S., shown in this handout photo on Sunday, March 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — River John Fire Department (Mandatory Credit)

It took a helicopter and a pair of snowmobiles to retrieve a white Hyundai Accent abandoned earlier this month on the frozen Northumberland Strait, about three kilometres from shore near River John, N.S.

Terry Heighton, chief of the Pictou County town’s fire department, says the car was left out on the ice on March 5, presumably because it got stuck.

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He says it is believed to have been left by local troublemakers, though RCMP said in an email there was no criminality involved in the situation.

Heighton says the federal Fisheries Department and the provincial Natural Resources Department helped with the retrieval, testing the ice thickness and providing a helicopter to bring fire department members to the car on Sunday.

The plan was to strip the car so it was light enough to be flown out with the chopper, but it soon became clear that wouldn’t work.

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Heighton says the crew ultimately flipped the car onto its roof and towed it back to land with two snowmobiles.

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