People are being urged to look out for thin ice in the wake of a couple of incidents around the province where people or vehicles ended up submerged.
This comes on the heels of a horrifying story of two five-year-olds who fell into a dugout just north of Hyas 50 km north of Kamsack.
Around 2:10 p.m. on Monday, Kamsack RCMP received a call about two five-year-old boyswho fell into a dugout. According to the RCMP, five youth around the same age had been playing outside when they were able to climb a fenced in a dugout that was being aerated.
They proceeded to the area of open water, and it was at that point two of the boys fell into a hole in the ice and became partially submerged in the water.Two of the other boys present assisted by grabbing onto theboys, while the fifth ran for help. Two of the boys' mothers came running out onto the ice, and were able to pull the boys to safety.
The boys were transported to Kamsack Hospital by ambulance where they were treated for mild hypothermia. The dugout that was aerated is estimated to be at least 10 feet deep.
Kamsack RCMP commends the heroic efforts of the two mothers and the other youth at the scene.
In the wake of this incident the RCMP are urging people to watch out for dugouts and other bodies of water that may have thin ice due to aeration factors.
The other incident happened at around noon Tuesday. Lumsden RCMP detachment members were called to an incident where two people were riding an ATV that brokethrough the ice on Last Mountain Lake, near the dock at Regina Beach.
According to the RCMP, upon arrival at scene, it was noted that both people on the ATV were able to climb out of the water using theATV, which remained partially submerged. A 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, both of Regina, were fullyimmersedin water for a short period of time. When they escaped they made it to a fishing shack in the areawhere they were able to obtainsome dry, warm clothes.EMS were not required to attend.
This is not the only instance of vehicles that have either been partially or fully submerged on Last Mountain Lake. Lumsden RCMP have attended other such instances and say this this incident could have had a much more devastating end result.
RCMP continue to strongly discourage vehicular traffic on the ice due to the unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, which has made for unpredictable and unsafe ice conditions.
