A family outing ended in tragedy this weekend.
On Saturday, a family was boating on Lake Newell near Brooks when their boat hit a rock and began filling with water. The family called 911 just after 5:30 p.m.
RCMP got the distress call and sent out an Alberta Fish and Wildlife boat with three rescuers in it to search for the family.
The rescuers found the family about two hours later, put them in the boat, and began to head for land. However, on the way back, large waves overcame the rescue boat, causing the boat to flip over.
When emergency responders on shore couldn't reach the rescuers, the Brooks Fire Department, along with the Medicine Hat STARS helicopter and the Calgary Police Service's HAWCS helicopter, were called in to look for the missing family and rescuers.
Around 11:30 p.m., the STARS helicopter found the capsized Fish and Wildlife boat with the missing rescuers and four of the five family members on top of the overturned boat suffering from hypothermia.
Rescuers began to search for the missing family member, a five-year old girl. She was found just before 5 a.m. Sunday morning inside the wreckage of the overturned boat.
The little girl was taken to Foothills Hospital in Calgary where she was pronounced dead at 6 a.m. RCMP say all of the family members were wearing lifejackets.
