Sheet of ice drifts out into lake near Canada carrying 100 fishers, rescuers say
More than 120 ice fishers were rescued in Minnesota Friday after they became stranded on a large sheet of ice that had drifted out into a lake.
Emergency responders in Beltrami County, Minnesota, launched an "ice rescue" mission to evacuate 122 fishers from an ice floe, a sheet of floating ice that had detached from the shoreline of Minnesota's Upper Red Lake, authorities said.
After the large chunk of ice detached from the shore, it drifted more than 30 feet away, authorities said, leaving the fishers stranded in the lake, which is about 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
More Minnesotans have been stranded or fallen through lake ice this winter, as unseasonably warm temperatures have made ice-fishing less feasible, state authorities warned.
There were no injuries in Friday night's incident, but four anglers fell into the water while trying to evacuate via canoe before emergency responders arrived, the Beltrami sheriff's office said.
Earlier this month, a group of 35 ice fishers were also stranded on a large sheet of ice in the same lake, after the ice chunk detached from the shore, Beltrami officials said in a press release.
"If you become stranded on the ice, call for help," Beltrami sheriff's office said on Facebook. "We would rather have trained responders assist than someone falling in the water."
The news comes after another ice fishing incident turned fatal this week in Minnesota when a vehicle used to transport ice-fishers crashed through the ice on a lake, killing one man.
The Cass County Lakes Area Dive Team recovered the man's body in about 10 feet of water on Lake of the Woods on Thursday afternoon, according to the Lake of the Woods Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office called in the dive team after getting a report of a possible drowning.
Minnesotans fall through lake ice this winter
There have been several other ice fishing emergencies in Minnesota this winter, authorities said.
In a recent Facebook post, Beltrami County authorities wrote they're hopeful upcoming freezing temperatures will lead to more ice forming on lakes, "so our responders will get a break."
On Dec. 29, two men fell through the ice on Upper Red Lake while in an all-terrain vehicle and became briefly stranded.
On Dec. 22, two other men fell through the ice and into the same lake after their vehicle and trailer broke through a layer of ice. The men were cold, but uninjured, authorities said
On Dec. 19, a small passenger plane landed on Upper Red Lake and broke through the ice and partially sunk into the lake, authorities said. All people onboard safely exited the plane.
Unseasonably warm weather in Minnesota
State authorities in Minnesota have been warning of unseasonably warm temperatures and deteriorating ice conditions this winter.
Warmer temperatures and and widespread rain and wind degraded ice conditions throughout the state, and there's more open water where there used to be ice, according to Minnesota officials.
State officials warn people should not go out onto a frozen lake unless there is at least four inches of ice.
How many people go ice fishing in Minnesota?
An estimated 150,000 licensed anglers, or fishers, venture out onto Minnesota's lakes after they've frozen each winter, according to the state's main tourism website.
Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Over 100 fishers rescued after Minnesota ice sheet drifts into lake
