REGINA — A fascinating find was made in Lake of The Prairies near the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border recently.
On Aug. 20, RCMP received a report from an individual who found a submerged half ton truck in the lake in the RM of Riding Mountain-West. The individual provided the police with images and co-ordinates of the submerged truck, which prompted the police to launch an investigation. No missing persons reports had been filed in the area meaning police had a mystery on their hands. How does a truck show up in a lake?
The RCMP Underwater Recovery Unit was dispatched to the area where they used drop sonar and their remote-operated vehicle to learn more about the vehicle. To their surprise it was a 1970s half-ton truck that was still in decent condition after being underwater for all those years. What was even more surprising was that the licence plate on the back of the truck was still visible. With the help of Manitoba Public Insurance, they traced the vehicle to an individual who now lives near Winnipeg.
Back in the winter of 1990, the owner of the truck was driving back home and decided to take a shortcut by driving across Lake of the Prairies. What he didn’t know was that the ice was not thick enough and his truck fell through the ice. According to police, the man says everyone got out of the vehicle safely and nobody was injured in the incident. Over the years the man returned to the spot to try to find it but was always unsuccessful until this summer, 34 years after the sinking.
No word on whether an attempt will be made to retrieve the truck or if it will be left in the lake.
