Police say a Manitoba man is presumed drowned after falling through thin ice on the Winnipeg River on an ATV.
Powerview RCMP were called to an address on Penelope Close, in the RM of Alexander north of White Mud Falls around 1 a.m. Thursday after someone reported hearing cries for help after seeing an ATV attempting to cross the river.
Police say officers found a man in the water hanging onto the ice.
With help from a volunteer firefighter who lives nearby, police say officers used a life jacket and several rescue ropes to walk out onto the ice. But the man began to struggle and went under the water as rescuers approached.
A 42-year-old man from the RM of Alexander is presumed drowned.
Police say the man was with another man who had been attempting to cross the river on ATVs when their machines both broke through thin ice. They say the other man, a 37-year-old from Great Falls, was able to pull himself out of the water.
The other man was taken to a nearby home where he was treated for hypothermia.
Powerview RCMP continue to investigate with help from the RCMP’s underwater recovery team.