A search of Lake Erie prompted by the discovery of an abandoned floatie off Long Point on Tuesday has been called off.
“As of this morning, an extensive search of Lake Erie found no missing persons or evidence of missing persons,” Norfolk County OPP Const. Andrew Gamble said Wednesday.
First responders got a call around 11:40 am Tuesday that two people were operating a unicorn-shaped inflatable about 200 feet from shore in Long Point.
“The individuals did not appear to be in distress, however, the inflatable appeared to be moving out into deeper water at a rapid pace,” Gamble said.
Nearly two hours after the search began, members of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Trenton spotted the white-coloured floatie about 2.5 kilometers off shore, south of the Long Point Provincial Park wildlife area.
The two unidentified people who had been seen on the inflatable were not found nearby, and Gamble said no one has been reported missing or is overdue to come back from the beach.
“It is unknown if the individuals are outstanding, or if they abandoned the inflatable and returned to shore,” Gamble said.
JP Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.