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N.S. Crew Retrieves Abandoned Car From Sea Ice After Airlift Plan Fails

An attempted airlift gave way to a tow across tested sea ice.

It took two levels of government and a local fire department to retrieve the abandoned car from the ice on the Northumberland Strait near River John. N.S., shown in this handout photo on Sunday, March 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — River John Fire Department (Mandatory Credit)
This small Hyundai car was left about 2.5 km out on the ice of the Northumberland Strait. It was retrieved on Sunday by the River John Volunteer Fire Department with assistance from the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. - SUPPLIED BY THE RIVER JOHN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
The River John Volunteer Fire Department was called out to assist DNR and DFO by lightening the car so it could be lifted ashore by helicopter. In the end, they flipped it on its roof and towed it ashore with snowmobiles. – SUPPLIED BY THE RIVER JOHN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Members of the River John Volunteer Fire Department used their personal snowmobiles to tow the car upside down the 2.5 km to shore across the Northumberland Strait’s sea ice. – SUPPLIED BY THE RIVER JOHN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

Overview

  • The River John Volunteer Fire Department brought a white Hyundai Accent ashore from the Northumberland Strait after a four-hour operation on Sunday.
  • Provincial Natural Resources and federal Fisheries officials ferried firefighters by helicopter and drilled holes to confirm roughly two feet of ice along the route.
  • Crews stripped the vehicle in hopes of an airlift, then flipped it onto its roof and towed it 2.5–3 kilometres with two personal snowmobiles to within about 50 metres of shore.
  • North Shore Towing completed the final pull to the road once the car reached the shoreline.
  • RCMP said officers encountered two men walking from the car on March 5 and identified no criminal offence, and local firefighters later urged residents to stay off the ice.