Two paddlers dead after canoe overturns on northern Alberta river

Two men are dead after a canoe overturned Saturday on the Ells River north of Fort MacKay, Alta.

The men were 80 and 46 and both from Fort McMurray.

Police got a report about two missing canoeists on the river around 12:15 p.m. Saturday, police said in a news release.

The pair were in a red 16-foot canoe, paddling in a group that included another two-person canoe, a single-person canoe and a single-person kayak, police said.

The group had been on the river for about an hour when the others lost sight of the red 16-foot canoe and called RCMP.

RCMP conducted a boat search on the water. An aerial search was also conducted, and community members in the area did further ground searches.

The overturned canoe and the body of the 80-year-old man were found around 4:15 p.m., RCMP said. The body of the second man was found Wednesday, police said.

The identity of the deceased will not be released, RCMP said.