Levi Palituq attempted to save Daniel Kanayuk from drowning, Pond Inlet, Northwest Territories (Nunavut), July 16, 1996. Kanayuk, 32, fell through a hole in the ice while returning from a hunting expedition by snowmobile across that portion of Eclipse Sound that was yet frozen over. He lost consciousness in the frigid water. Palituq, 31, hunter, was in a boat about 200 feet away, where he was waiting to take Kanayuk and others in his party across the sound’s open water. Seeing the accident, Palituq immediately stepped onto the ice and started to run toward the hole. His boots becoming heavy en route, he removed them and continued, barefoot. At the hole, Palituq saw only parts of Kanayuk’s attire at the surface of the water. After trying to reach Kanayuk with a stick that proved too short, Palituq dived into the arctic water, which was more than 100 feet deep, and grasped him. He pushed Kanayuk to the surface twice but submerged while doing so each time. Kanayuk sank, and Palituq lost consciousness. Another hunter from Kanayuk’s party arrived and removed Palituq from the water with the use of a seal hook. Palituq required medical treatment for hypothermia and other ill effects, and he recovered. Kanayuk was not found.
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