In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by Marina Lacasse, a killer whale surfaces through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak, in Northern Quebec. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen trapped orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation. / AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse
MONTREAL A Canadian village leader says about a dozen killer whales that were trapped under sea ice appear to have reached safety after the floating ice shifted on Hudson Bay.
Killer whales trapped in Quebec ice
Tommy Palliser said Thursday that two hunters from Inukjuak village reported the water had opened up around the area where the cornered whales had been bobbing frantically for air.
The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans said that it would send a helicopter to locate them, Isabelle Dubois of the Nunavik Tourism Association told CBS News.
Locals said the mammals had been trapped around a single, truck-sized breathing hole for at least two days.
Palliser says villagers had been planning to launch a rescue operation Thursday.
But he says the winds seemed to shift overnight, pushing the floating ice further away from shore to open up the water.
Mayor Peter Inukpuk had urged the Canadian government to send an icebreaker.
Locals: Trapped whales freed with sea ice shift
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Locals: Trapped whales freed with sea ice shift
