Video Released Of Heat-Seeking Equipment Used To Locate Missing Canoers

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota State Patrol has released video of the heat-seeking equipment used to help locate two missing canoers in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area last week.

Around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, officials received a report that canoers on a trip to Echo Trail in the BWCA were overdue. It was believed they were last seen at the Moose River access. The report initially said three people were missing, but authorities later learned it was just two.

A search went underway and the party was located hours later near Oyster Lake.

Around 1 a.m., a fixed wing aircraft operating by the patrol located the missing canoers when they used a flashlight to signal the plane. The patrol released video from the aircraft, called Cirrus, on Monday.

In the video, it appears the canoers use a S.O.S. signal in addition to aiming a flashlight at the plane.

Shortly after the missing canoers were located, a helicopter from the Air Guard out of Duluth retrieved them.

The canoers were uninjured but were taken to an Ely hospital as a precautionary measure.