They were there to help Igloolik hunter David Aqqiaruq and his son, who had left the community by boat Wednesday to go walrus hunting, but they reportedly had engine problems and called for help. Local searchers had trouble reaching them because of the icy, rough sea.
Once the boaters were located, a radio was dropped to them by the rescue crew. In a statement, Col. Sean Friday, commander of 8 Wing Trenton, said that when it was determined the condition of one of the boaters was deteriorating and communications broke off, the three technicians parachuted down. The boaters were transferred to the life-raft, and all five men waited for about three hours until a Cormorant helicopter from Gander, N.L., arrived to pick everyone up.
Capt. Jennifer Jones, a CFB Trenton-based spokeswoman for the military, had no specific information on where they landed, or what happened before the three members of the rescue team and the two boaters were transported by a helicopter — flown in from Gander, N.L. — to a medical facility in Igloolik.
Jones said she did not know whether Gilbert was alive when the chopper picked up the five individuals, but did say everyone else was in good condition. She said the boaters suffered minor injuries.
Celestino Uyaraq of Igloolik’s search and rescue group said people in the hamlet are saddened by what happened.
“The whole community is touched by this, and I’ve received calls that if we could only see their family members, just to be around them, to support them.”
Louis Tapardjuk, MLA for Amittuq, which includes the hamlets of Hall Beach and Igloolik, acknowledged the death in Nunavut’s legislative assembly.
He said it’s clear everyone involved worked very hard because life is so precious, and that the people of Nunavut are grateful for the work of search and rescue technicians.
In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the Canadian Forces’ search-and-rescue technicians “some of the best trained in the world.”
“Canada’s landscape is one of the most challenging in the world in which to conduct search-and-rescue operations, and the area in which search-and-rescue professionals work is the largest in the world — it extends over 15 million square kilometres of land and sea and encompasses the world’s longest coastline. Sgt. Gilbert was an extremely brave Canadian who made the ultimate sacrifice while proudly serving his country.”
“On behalf of the Defence family and our brave men and women in uniform, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and comrades of Sgt. Janick Gilbert, who died yesterday in Nunavut,” Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, said in a statement Friday. “He lost his life in the service of his country while unselfishly answering the call for help.”
The military says the incident is under investigation.
This is the purest definition of bravery - jumping from an airplane and into stormy arctic seas in order to rescue someone you don’t know. So that others may live.
My sincerest condolences to his family.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his brother.
John 15:13
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