A husky sled dog named Kimnik has been found, but two Dutch adventurers, Mark Corenlissen and Philip de Roo, are still unaccounted for this week after an arctic adventure in Canada. The two missing polar explorers are presumed died, mostly likely due to drowning.
Kimnik was found alive on May 2, hungry, but otherwise in good shape. At the time, she was busy guarding the sled and equipment, but has since been returned to her owner, a wildlife ranger living in Resolute in the local area.
Photographic Evidence to be Used to Locate Missing Polar Explorers
The missing polar explorers originally made their travel from Canada to the North Pole region beginning on April 6; they sent out an automated message on April 30, asking for an emergency retrieval. The men were completing a two-month long study of the ice, which began on April 6, for the Cold Facts organization. The expedition was meant to be the last venture into the area for research purposes.
Search and Rescue Attempted to Locate Missing Polar Explorers
Support officials reported that a plane was sent as soon as the automated message from the missing polar explorers was received. However, the plane couldn’t land due to thin ice. Later, another search and rescue attempt by the Nunavut Emergency Measures Organization was also unable to find the men.
However, the rescue teams reported that they sighted personal items, as well as gear that was seen floating in the water near the area of the distress call signal. It is thought that perhaps due to the warm conditions reported on that day that they men could have fallen through the ice during their travel and drowned in the process. The recovered sled dog, Kimnik, was rescued beside a hole in the ice, providing evidence for the assertion.
Hazardous weather conditions orginally kept rescue teams out of the area, but search efforts are now in effect again. Due to the conclusions based on evidence found at the camp, the search and rescue will likely turn into a body recovery mission.
The unfortunate news of the two missing polar explorers proves how difficult it is to embark on an unpredictable mission as an polar adventurer, like Eric Larsen:
