Two teenage boys are dead following separate vehicle collisions in Manitoba over the weekend, part of a tragic 39-hour span that also left three other young people missing on the water.
Early Saturday morning, around 3:40 a.m., an 18-year-old man from Dauphin was killed in a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 20, near Road 156 North in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. RCMP say the driver lost control while rounding a corner and went into the ditch.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 2:50 p.m., a 16-year-old boy from Virden died while riding a dirt bike with friends in Oak Lake, located in the RM of Sifton. Police said the youth struck an unmarked guy-wire.
“The death of any young person is a tragedy that devastates their families, friends and entire communities,” said RCMP spokesperson Melanie Roussel in a news release. “We know summers in Manitoba have so much to offer, but we are urging everyone to take precautions and make safe choices — whether you are on the water, on the road or riding off-road.”
The two fatal crashes were part of a devastating stretch between July 18 and July 19 that saw Mounties respond to multiple life-threatening emergencies across the province involving youth.
Search efforts continue for two boys, aged 10 and 13, who are believed to have slipped into fast-moving rapids Saturday afternoon at Nutimik Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park. The RCMP Marine Unit and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team are searching the falls and surrounding shorelines.
A second suspected drowning occurred Sunday night in the RM of Hanover, where an 18-year-old man went under the water at a gravel pit around 9:30 p.m. and did not resurface. Dive teams were deployed to the scene Monday morning.
Mounties also responded to two non-fatal incidents over the weekend, including an off-road vehicle rollover in the RM of De Salaberry that sent three youth to hospital with minor injuries, and a motorcycle crash near Portage la Prairie that left a 47-year-old man in stable condition.
Police are reminding drivers to obey the rules of the road, drive sober and wear seatbelts or helmets. Swimmers are urged to wear lifejackets, pay attention to currents and never swim alone.
Comments