A group of people who went missing while tubing earlier this week were found safe after a successful overnight search.
In a release, the New Brunswick RCMP said the group of five tubers became stranded in the Belledune area while they were tubing down Jacquet River.
Police say members of the Chaleur Region RCMP detachment received a report around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 that a group of five people had not returned from a tubing activity.
“The group of five, aged between 33 and 60 years old, began a tubing descent of the river around 1 p.m. that day,” the release said.
“A few hours later, the tubers came to a long section of the river where the water was too low to keep floating downstream. The tubers decided to get out of the water and continued their way downstream on foot.”
As the night began setting in, a family member called the police to report the group missing when they didn’t return as expected.
The release said police were able to make contact with the group, “who had become disoriented in the woods and were not able to pinpoint their location.”
The police, along with the Belledune Volunteer Fire Department, attended the area and organized search efforts.
“Police and volunteer firefighters worked through the night to locate the lost tubers, who kept contact with RCMP telecommunication operators,” the release said. “The group was able to start a small fire and stayed in place waiting for help to arrive.”
The tubers were located near the riverbank around 7:30 the next morning. Despite being “tired and cold,” everyone was uninjured and in “good spirits.”
All five were transported out of the woods and assessed by paramedics. Nobody needed to be taken to hospital and they were all taken back home.
“The banks of Jacquet River are at times treacherous, especially in the dark, so this search was no easy operation,” Sgt. Roch Lizotte with the Chaleur Region RCMP said in the release.
“I want to commend the Belledune volunteer firefighters, who were in the woods with us all through the night. Their help was instrumental in locating the group safe and sound.”