The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor A tragic weekend saw a mining contractor perish in Flin Flon just hours before a plane crash near Snow Lake claimed the life of the pilot and injured seven passengers. And that came a day after a snowmobiler was found deceased near Deschambault Lake, his snowmobile partially submerged in the ice on a lake. In the mining incident, Hudbay said the contractor died early Sunday morning after apparently falling into the main shaft at the 777 Mine. 'Since the investigation is still ongoing there is very little (information) we can provide at this point,' Brad Lantz, vice-president of Hudbay's Manitoba Business Unit, said Monday. The contractor, whose name was not released, has been identified as a man who worked for Major Drilling. His body has been recovered. Lantz said no one other than the victim was involved in what he termed an 'accident.' He said Hudbay is cooperating 'with all relevant authorities' in an investigation that was ongoing Monday. A spokesperson for the provincial government said both the Workplace Safety and Health department and the RCMP were investigating. The incident occurred at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18. Hours later, shortly after 10 a.m., came a report that a small aircraft had crashed in the dense bush nearly 10 kilometres east of Snow Lake. The pilot perished while seven passengers, all men, suffered injuries. As of press time Monday they were listed in stable condition. Police did not release the name of the pilot, a 40-year-old Snow Lake resident, but the Winnipeg Free Press identified him as Mark Gogal. Gogal was flying a Cessna 208 Caravan, which carries up to 14 people, for Gogal Air Services, the Snow Lake-based company owned by his family. See 'Passenger...' pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 The plane had departed Snow Lake for Winnipeg, crashing just 1.6 kilometres from the town's airport. After a passenger on the downed plane called 911, paramedics, RCMP and firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Word of the crash quickly spread. Just minutes afterward, many Snow Lake residents used their own snowmobiles and ATVs to reach the site, the Free Press reported. An area contractor, Gerald Strilkiwski, told CBC he and his crews used a bulldozer to clear a path to the plane, a process that took about 90 minutes. Police said rescuers were on scene around 11:40 a.m. A Canadian Forces search and rescue aircraft was dispatched to assist, but challenging weather meant it could initially provide only limited assistance. The injured men were extricated from the mangled aircraft and quickly transported to the Snow Lake Health Centre. Four of the men were airlifted to Winnipeg overnight while three remained in northern hospitals, according to the Free Press. Sources identified the men as workers from Dumas Mine Contracting, which has a contract to develop a shaft for Hudbay's Lalor Mine. Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada were to be at the scene as part of their ongoing investigation Monday. In northeastern Saskatchewan, a separate investigation is ongoing after the body of a snowmobiler was found Saturday about 10 to 15 kilometres outside Deschambault Lake. The 43-year-old victim was discovered by his brother, who had gone out to search for him, at about 7 p.m. that night. His name was not released. Police have termed his passing a 'sudden death.' His snowmobile was partially submerged through the ice on a lake. The day before his body was found, Deschambault Lake RCMP received a complaint of a possibly impaired snowmobiler believed to be the victim. Mounties made several patrols in the community and attempted to stop the snowmobiler but were unsuccessful. No other details were available at press time as the Provincial Coroner led the investigation. Police said not all frozen waters in Saskatchewan are able to support snowmobiles at this time of year, so caution is urged. Back in Snow Lake, Helga Bryant, CEO of the Northern Health Region, commended town residents for their efforts to help in the aftermath of the plane crash. 'Without the community and the resources they brought to bear _ everything from snowmobiles to ATVs to trucks _ it was those means we removed those patients from the plane and got them to where the ambulances were,' she told the Free Press. 'People were very creativeÉ it was truly a collaborative effort, because there was no way ambulances could traverse (the terrain) to get to the plane. 'Paramedics trekked in to the plane by foot, carrying equipment, to do the initial assessment. Patients were immobilized, removed from the plane and taken to where the ambulances were staged.' Snow Lake Mayor Clarence Fisher said Gogal's death has had an impact on the close-knit town. 'Snow Lake is a very small town so something like this touches everyone,' he told CBC. 'Whether it's (residents or) mining contractors that have only been in town a short time, people make Snow Lake home pretty fast.' In Flin Flon, the incident at 777 left work at the mine temporarily suspended. Hudbay's Lantz said the accident site was released back to the company at 10:30 p.m. Sunday. No night shift There was no work on night shift, but operations were to resume with the Monday day shift, he said. Lantz said Hudbay's thoughts are with the victim's loved ones. 'Hudbay is deeply saddened by this tragic event and sends its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,' he said. Major Drilling, one of the largest drilling service companies in the world, was equally saddened. 'Our hearts and thoughts are with the family,' the company said in a statement to The Reminder.
