Coast Guard rescues 18 people from breakaway ice sheet on Lake Erie Coast Guard rescues 18 people trapped on broken ice sheets at Lake Erie, Mich. (Coast Guard/Released)
The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued 18 people who were stranded on an ice sheet on Lake Erie.
#BREAKING Final number rescued from ice floe near #CatawbaIsland in #LakeErie today was 18; none needed medical attention. Photo below taken by Coast Guard helicopter crew. More details in attached news release at: https://t.co/NZcrCLU7mg #GreatLakesWinterSafety pic.twitter.com/9VrwW7DQQe
— USCG Great Lakes (@USCGGreatLakes) February 6, 2022
The ice sheet broke away as people were snowmobiling and doing other activities near Catawba Island, the USCG Great Lakes tweeted Sunday, Feb. 6.
“Rescue efforts began about 1 p.m. after an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit noticed approximately 20 people on an ice floe, with several ATVs looking for a route back to land,” the Coast Guard said in a news release.
Aerial view of the ice break off Catawba island. Coast guard with the help of a good Samaritan were able to rescue 18 people.
Images Credit: Island Air Taxi@wkycweather @wkyc pic.twitter.com/WfJrnE1NNc— Dominic Ferrante (@DJFerrante1) February 6, 2022
A “Station Marblehead airboat and Air Station Detroit helicopter” was deployed along with a “Good Samaritan” with an airboat, the Coast Guard said.
Seven people were hoisted onto the helicopter, four were rescued by the Coast Guard’s airboat and the others were taken to shore by the Good Samaritan, the Coast Guard said.
U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews, along with the help of a good Samaritan, are using a helicopter and two airboats to rescue 20 people who became trapped on the ice near Catawba Island in Lake Erie https://t.co/E0sLBpYvib pic.twitter.com/R9Tn9nwHEr
— Cleveland 19 News (@cleveland19news) February 6, 2022
None of those rescued needed medical attention.
“The Coast Guard urges all who seek recreational opportunities on the ice to take precautions, not chances,” the Coast Guard wrote. “Remember to dress appropriately for the water temperature, not the air temperature; to wear a life jacket and carry a reliable form of communication; and to carry icepicks or screwdrivers that can help them self-rescue if they go through the ice.”
No other information has been released.
___
(c)2022 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
