Two GTA residents are lucky to be alive after they were rescued from Havelock, located about 45 minutes east of Peterborough.
According to police, a man and woman, both in their 30s, went out in a canoe on Cordova Lake Saturday night.
On Sunday morning, family members noticed that the couple hadn’t returned. The canoe and their life jackets were found near the Belmont dam.
A resident spotted the pair on an island, police say, surrounded by fast-flowing water.
Firefighters throughout Peterborough County responded to the ensuing calls for help, along with paramedics and police officers.
A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter from 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron was eventually brought in to airlift the couple from the island. The chopper landed in a nearby field, and the man and woman were taken to hospital as a precaution.
“We were faced with strong, gusty winds and some trees in the area,” stated pilot Capt. James Gray. “We hoisted our two Search and Rescue Technicians 200 feet down to the island where they met the canoeists. Once we had them on the helicopter, we flew to a nearby field and transferred them to local Ontario Provincial Police and Fire Rescue.”
Police are reminding residents to always wear life jackets when out on the water, and to tell people where you are going and when you expect to return.