A girl found a shotgun while cleaning the beach of Lake Winnipeg

Manitoba Police say a sawed-off shotgun was found by a family cleaning up trash on the shores of Lake Winnipeg in Gimli on Saturday afternoon.

Gimli RCMP said the family's 12-year-old daughter spotted the weapon on the beach near North Lake Street and Vaughan Avenue around 12:30 p.m.

The family was cleaning the beach near their cottage.

Police were called and officers confiscated the weapon.

“The firearm was rusted and had to be disassembled at the detachment, where officers discovered it was unloaded,” Gimli said in an RCMP news release.

Mounties are investigating where the weapon came from and whether it is related to criminal activity.

Gimli is located 90 kilometers north of Winnipeg.