The search for a canoer who went missing in northern Alberta over the weekend has come to an end after his body was found on Wednesday, according to the RCMP.
In a news release issued Wednesday night, police said the body has been identified as a 46-year-old Fort McMurray man and that his family has been notified. They did not say where his body was found.
At about 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, Wood Buffalo RCMP were told about two missing canoers — one in his 40s and another in his 80s — on the Ells River, north of Fort MacKay.
“The pair were paddling in a group which consisted of another dual-operator canoe, a single-operator canoe and a single-operator kayak,” police said. “The party of six canoers and the kayaker had been on the Ells River for approximately 60 minutes.
“The group lost sight of the red 16-foot canoe around 12:15 p.m., and called RCMP concerned for the safety of the two men.”
READ MORE: 1 man dead, another canoer missing on Athabasca River north of Fort MacKay
A search effort got underway and about 4:15 p.m. that day, an overturned canoe was found along with the body of the older of the two missing men. Police continued their search for the second boater afterward and expanded its scope to include the Athabasca River.