Has anyone been following this story in northern Labrador?

A 14-year old Inuit (Canadian Eskimo) boy was found dead last Wednesday, 3 days after he failed to return home from his grandmother's house. He was travelling alone on a snowmobile.

He left his grandmother's house after dropping off a cousin on Sunday and was reported missing Sunday evening.

On Monday, searchers followed the tracks of his snowmobile to a stretch of open water; it appeared he had gone through the ice. Two civilian helicopters joined the search. There appear to be conflicting reports about what the weather was in the area, but given that his tracks hadn't been covered, the weather was probably good.

On Tuesday, searchers located his abandoned snowmobile, and realized the hole in the ice must have opened up after he passed that point.

They followed his tracks from the snowmobile and found his body on Wednesday; he had walked 19 km following the shoreline (approximately 11 miles?).

Now, politicians and the boy's family are criticizing the military SAR response, saying that they should have sent in a Cormorant helicopter (which may or may not be equipped with infrared scanning equipment, depending on who you listen to). Predictably, no one wants to acknowledge that he would probably be alive if he had simply dug a snow cave and waited for the searchers to find him. Instead, his family and neighbours are praising him for his "courage" and "determination", walking 11 miles.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundla...ticism-206.html

Other information: overnight temperatures on Sunday night (the night he was reported missing) "The overnight temperature in the area was -13 C (about +9 F), with the wind chill making it feel twice as cold (about -15 F)."

Makkovik airport is located at 55°04′38″N 059°11′15″W, so it's below the arctic circle, but the hours of daylight are probably short this time of year.

Any thoughts?