Search for missing Newfoundland boaters ends as 2 men remain lost at sea: RCMP

Rescue teams searched for the missing boaters for 10 days, recovering the boat but failing to locate the two men. (Exploits Search & Rescue - image credit)
Rescue teams searched for the missing boaters for 10 days, recovering the boat but failing to locate the two men. (Exploits Search & Rescue - image credit)

Two men reported missing off the coast of Newfoundland are now considered lost at sea, police said in a media release Wednesday, confirming it has ceased active search efforts for them.

The 10-day search and rescue effort involved multiple agencies, including the RCMP, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Armed Forces.

The two men, a 20-year-old and a 30-year-old, had departed in a 14-foot aluminum boat near Lawrence Harbour, in the Bay of Exploits area, on Nov. 13 for a hunting expedition.

They were reported past due on Sunday evening, launching a wide-ranging search.

On Nov. 15, searchers reported finding debris — later confirmed to be the overturned boat and personal items — floating in the water about three nautical miles north of Black Island, Notre Dame Bay.

The location was about 15 nautical miles from their starting point, according to a coast guard superintendent.

Rescuers scoured "thousands of square nautical miles" by water, air and ground in an effort to find the men, the RCMP said.

A police investigation will remain open, the RCMP continued, "with any new evidence or sightings considered and pursued."

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