UPDATE: Two bodies recovered from Charleston Lake Monday

Charleston Lake – On February 12, 2024, at approximately 4:00 p.m., members of Leeds County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (USRU), and Aviation Services located and recovered two bodies from Charleston Lake. Their identities have been confirmed as the missing individuals.

“Our thoughts go out to the families of those involved in this tragedy. We ask media and the public to respect the family’s privacy,” said OPP

Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 11th, Leeds County OPP responded to reports of three individuals who were hiking in Charleston Lake Provincial Park and broke through the ice on Charleston Lake.

One person got out from the freezing waters just north of Lansdowne while two people were still missing.

The OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT), Aviation Services, Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (USRU), Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), Leeds and Thousand Islands Fire Department (TLTI) and Rideau Lakes Fire Department continued the search for the missing individuals on Monday.

The OPP wants to urge the public to stay off the ice. No ice is safe ice, especially during this extraordinarily mild winter.