Hundreds of people were left stranded on a huge chunk of ice that broke off from the rest of the ice sheet spanning a Minnesota lake.
The incident took place at Upper Red Lake where the authorities were called to help rescue over two hundred people who were fishing on the lake.
According to the reports, a large chunk of ice broke off and floated toward the open water, leaving hundreds of people separated from the land by ice-cold water.
Fortunately, the ice chunk didn’t break into multiple pieces and all of the people, which mostly included fishermen, were rescued after first responders set up a temporary ice bridge to help them return to the land.
“If you are on the ice and need to evacuate, head towards JR’s Corner. There is a temporary ice bridge to get across the open water,” the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office announced in a statement at the time of the evacuation.
In an update on the pressing situation, they explained: “The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and other first responders arrived on scene and discovered a large portion of the ice with up to 30 yards of open water stranding the fishermen.
“Several water rescue agencies and vehicles were dispatched to the scene. After assessing the extent of the open water with visual and drone operations, a narrow spot of the separation was found and a temporary bridge was deployed to evacuate the stranded fishermen.”
The service also confirmed that they rescued some two hundred individuals in total while warning potential visitors of the lake that ice can be very unpredictable this early into the season.
“Extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice and to check the thickness frequently to ensure an adequate amount of ice,” they concluded.
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