Ice floe rescue ops saves 122 anglers in Northern Minnesota, none injured

In a dramatic rescue operation on Friday (Dec 29) evening, a total of 122 anglers found themselves stranded on an ice floe that had detached from the main ice sheet on Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota. The incident occurred about 30 feet from the shore, prompting a swift response from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the ordeal.

According to the sheriff’s office, the fishermen were unable to return to dry land after the ice floe broke loose.

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Emergency responders were alerted just before 5 pm CT. Bystanders attempted a makeshift rescue using a canoe, resulting in four individuals falling into the water.

However, they were quickly rescued.

The first four fishermen were successfully rescued around 6:40 pm CT, and by 7:37 pm, all 122 individuals had been safely brought back to the mainland, as reported in a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.

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Chris Mueller, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office, commended the response, stating, “Our first responders have had a lot of practice this year, and it is quite impressive we evacuated 122 people in less than 3 hours from the first call in a rural area of the county.”

The incident has brought the spotlight on the precarious ice conditions in the region, with the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources cautioning the public.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (Dec 28), they laid emphasis on the need for caution due to changing and uneven ice conditions.

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“While the forecast looks good for making ice, ice conditions will remain poor until there’s a string of cold days to form new, clear ice. Please stay on shore until there’s at least 4 inches of new, clear ice. If you do head out, make sure to have all the proper safety equipment and check the ice thickness frequently,” warned the DNR.

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This rescue came just a day after the sheriff’s office responded to a call on the same lake for two fishermen who had fallen through the ice on an ATV. As per reports, the men managed to get out of the water. However, they were stranded and eventually made it back to their resort uninjured.

(With inputs from agencies)