SOUTH BRANCH, N.L. — Gerry Clark is crediting the friends of a man lost in the South Branch area on Saturday as being the reason the missing snowmobiler was found on the weekend.
The coordinator of the Stephenville-Kippens-Port au Port Search and Rescue Team said the man’s three friends initially started a search for him on Friday and with knowledge of the area assisted his team on Saturday with the search.
He said it was a great effort by all involved to find the missing man.
It was on Friday at about 10:30 p.m. that Port aux Basques RCMP received a report of an overdue snowmobiler.
They were told the 72-year-old man from South Branch went snowmobiling alone in the South Branch area around 11:00 a.m. and was last heard from around 6:30 p.m. that day.
Officers from Port aux Basques and Bay St. George RCMP, along with Stephenville/Kippens/Port au Port Search and Rescue, attended the scene to assist in the search.
It was about 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, the man was located by the three men and search and rescue members and extricated from the area.
Clarke said weather conditions during the search were calm, but there was rain and drizzle and visibility was minimal. He said the area has ravines and overhangs that are dangerous for travel.
He said after being brought down from the mountainous area, the man was accessed on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway by paramedics.
Port aux Basques RCMP expressed their appreciation to the search and rescue team and the friends and family for their assistance.
