14 DAY TRIAL // The crash, which occurred on Sunday, forced the two, believed to be from Sweden, to dive their plane into the ocean and then spend an entire night in the freezing temperatures that are the Arctic's trademark. Rescuers finally managed to get to them on Monday morning, when they were picked up by a ship and taken to safety, after which they were flown to Iqaluit, Nunavut, where they received medical attention.
Reportedly, the two only suffered minor frostbites, although the average temperatures in the region at this time of year are around -25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit), which is enough to freeze even the warmest object. However, ship logs say that the temperature was at about -13C when the two were recovered.
"They had some minor frostbite but other than that they were in good spirits and good health. They were very fortunate, they were wearing proper safety equipment and managed to scramble from the aircraft just prior to its sinking into the water. My understanding is they didn't actually go into the water themselves, which certainly contributed to them being alive today," said Major Denis McGuire of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The two departed from Wabush, Labrador, in a double-engine Cessna and were headed for Iqaluit, when the technical problem occurred. They were forced to jump out of the plane before it sunk and managed to reach the relative safety of the ice near Canada's Baffin island. Because they were suitably dressed, they only suffered minor injuries that they would recover from completely.
Such accidents are not uncommon in the region, especially with small crafts, such as light airplanes and boats, as tourists or visitors, oblivious to the looming dangers ahead, set out to explore the wilderness that surrounds our North Pole. Often, they are caught off-guard, when engines freeze or other emergencies occur, and they are forced to make a hasty return, which doesn't always pan out according to plan.