On a brisk Friday evening, 122 ice fishermen found themselves in a precarious situation when an ice floe they were on detached from mainland Upper Red Lake, leaving them stranded and prompting a large-scale rescue operation by local authorities. According to CBS News Minnesota, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Department received reports around 5:00 p.m. of the fishermen, initially thought to be around 100, clinging to an ice chunk over 30 feet of treacherous open water from safety.
In the critical moments before rescue crews arrived, quick-thinking bystanders took matters into their own hands, attempting to ferry the stranded to shore using a canoe. During this impromptu, rescue four individuals unfortunately fell into the chilling abyss. They were promptly pulled to relative safety and ushered into a fishing shelter to regain warmth. It was after this act of daring and perhaps desperation that official rescue personnel took over, navigating the hazardous gap and against the biting cold, they systematically evacuated those on the ice chunk, securing all 122 by 6:40 p.m. as per FOX 9 News.
The incident ended with no injuries. Over the last two weeks, four similar emergencies led the sheriff's department to execute ice rescues on Upper Red Lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has repeatedly warned the public about the unreliable ice conditions.
