The US Coast Guard has rescued 18 people from a floating ice floe that had recently broken loose on Lake Erie near the Canadian border. Seven people were brought to safety by helicopter, the others by boat, the authority said.
The rescued are unharmed. The group was traveling with snowmobiles when the ice broke off the coast of Catawba Island in the US state of Ohio. Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes in the northeastern United States. The border with Canada runs through it.
Warning disregarded by meteorologists
The snowmobile drivers were lucky in their misfortune: the coast guard helicopter crew discovered the stranded people by chance during an overflight on Sunday afternoon. With the help of their snowmobiles, the group had tried in vain to find a way to the mainland.
The Coast Guard later published photos of the rescue operation on Twitter. The weather service warned over the weekend: “You are urged to stay away from the ice on Lake Erie due to the possibility that the ice will drift away from the shore.” (SDA/noo)