Search Continues for Second Missing Ice Fisherman in Belleisle; One Confirmed Deceased

BELLEISLE, NS – The tranquil landscape of Annapolis County remains the site of a somber multi-agency operation as searchers enter their second full day of looking for a missing 77-year-old ice fisherman.

The emergency began late Tuesday night, around 11:30 p.m., when the RCMP received a report that two men, ages 73 and 77, had failed to return from a fishing excursion near Little Brook Lane. The initial response included overnight air surveillance by RCMP drone operators and a Cormorant helicopter from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC).

Tragically, the search took a grim turn on Wednesday afternoon when the 73-year-old man was located deceased. While the identity of the victim has not been publicly released, the news has sent shockwaves through the local fishing community.

Today, the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team has been deployed to assist Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams from both Annapolis and Digby counties. They are joined by the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) and the Department of Natural Resources.

“We are doing everything we can to bring closure to the family,” an RCMP spokesperson said Thursday. Officials have issued an urgent plea for residents to stay off local ice surfaces, noting that recent temperature swings have made “thin ice” a critical danger across the province.