OPP, firefighters recover body off Port Stanley beach waters
CBC
Emergency workers recovered a body from Lake Erie off Port Stanley's main beach on Tuesday afternoon, two days after a 14-year-old boy went missing in the water.
However, police have not released any information on the individual recovered from the water.
"It was a very difficult recovery and it has been a trying couple of days for all of the crew members who have been involved ... as well as with our beach patrol individuals," said Central Elgin Fire Chief Raymond Ormerod, whose crew assisted Ontario Provincial Police with the recovery.
He said that while it was a tragic situation, rescue workers were glad they were able to locate an individual to help provide "some closure" to loved ones.
Members of the OPP's underwater search-and-recovery unit, working with firefighters, recovered the body from a section of the cement pier located at the eastern edge of the beach.
Const. Brett Phair said the heavy winds made it difficult to recover the body from the rocky section of shoreline.
The arm of a Central Elgin ladder truck was extended over the water, allowing crews to carry out the rescue from above.
"No two recoveries are the same — the tools we use and the strategies are going to differ and this one certainly had its challenges," said Phair.
Police had been searching the waters since Sunday, using a helicopter, police boats and divers.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, police told reporters the search and rescue operation for the missing teen had become a "recovery" operation.
The 14-year-old went missing Sunday afternoon. Two other people in distress — a 17-year-old and a 44-year-old, believed to be the boy's brother and father — were pulled from the water by members of the Central Elgin Beach Rescue Service.
The teen's father, Lamir Boz, told CBC on Monday he was still hopeful his son could be found and he was thankful for the support shown to him by the community.
Emergency crews are reminding people to be extra cautious around the water.
