Rescue efforts for canoeists who went over Minnesota waterfall continue; Guard deployed

As the search for two missing canoeists in Minnesota hits a week, the Minnesota National Guard has been deployed to help locate them in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, near the Canada border.

Governor Tim Walz on Thursday authorized the Minnesota National Guard to assist the St. Louis County Sheriff in searching and rescuing the two canoeists who went missing on May 18 near Curtain Falls.

The Minnesota National Guard will provide a CH-47 (Chinook) helicopter and four crew members for the rescue operation in the BWCA, said the governor's office. They will also help in providing "lift assets to transport a boat and additional equipment" to the area. The sheriff's office had requested assistance from the Minnesota National Guard as Curtain Falls is "extremely difficult to access," making it challenging to transport "equipment, supplies, and personnel in and out of the backcountry."

“No one expects their vacation to turn to crisis," Governor Walz said in a statement. "Yet, when four canoeists went over Curtain Falls in the BWCA, this became a reality.

My family is intimately familiar with the fear and heartbreak these canoeists are feeling. We are praying for those involved and immensely grateful to everyone from the Sheriff’s office to the National Guard who are supporting this mission," his statement added.

Walz's own brother, Craig Walz, was killed during a storm in the Boundary Waters Area while on a trip with his son in June 2016, according to CBS News.

Dozen crew members on ground

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, in an update Friday, said that a camp had been established to "support the search efforts as personnel will be spending the majority of the weekend conducting shoreline, water, and ROV searches," despite difficult weather and rise in water levels.

"Over a dozen crew members are on the ground at the search area," said the sheriff's office, "with several others supporting in air operations and command posts."

The sheriff's office said assistance from various agencies, including the Minnesota National Guard along with good weather, helped rescuers transport equipment and personnel to the search area Thursday, which will aid in locating the missing canoeists.

Canoeists went missing last weekend

Two canoes carrying four individuals had gone over Curtain Falls last Saturday, the St. Louis Co Sheriff's Office said in a news release Sunday.

Authorities said that they received reports of a "water emergency on Iron Lake in the BWCA" shortly before 7:30 p.m. on May 18.

"The caller reported 2 canoes had gone over Curtain Falls during the incident, one party was badly injured and two individuals were missing," the sheriff's office said.

A rescue operation was launched to retrieve the individuals and around 12:30 a.m., the next day, and a helicopter extracted one of the injured individuals and another injured person. The injured person was flown to a hospital with "serious but not life-threatening injuries."

The search efforts for the other canoeists continued the next day. While the missing canoeists were not located, a fifth individual who was with the group, but not involved in the incident, was flown out of the wilderness.

The search mission for the two missing canoeists continued into the week but was temporarily halted Wednesday due to bad weather before resuming Thursday.

Iron Lake and its surrounding area remains closed for the public, a spokesperson of the St. Louis County Sheriff's office said Friday. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad, though on Tuesday, had said that they intend to reopen the lake as "long as paddlers don't interfere with aircraft operations (which happened before the closure went up), and people stay away from the active search area."

The two missing canoeists have been identified as Jesse Melvin Haugen, 41 of Cambridge, Minnesota and Reis Melvin Grams, 40, of Lino Lakes, Minnesota.

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62-year-old canoeist died earlier this month

Earlier in May, a 62-year-old man was found deceased in Lake Agnes in the BWCA. A capsized canoe was also located near the body, said the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, adding that a life jacket was also located on scene, "but was not worn by the victim."

Investigators later learned that the victim was on a solo camping trip in the area. An investigation into the cause of death is underway.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located about 250 miles north of Minneapolis and covers an area of more than 1-million acres, with 1,200 miles of canoe routes, according to U.S. Forest Service.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.