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Eighteen people were rescued from an ice floe in Lake Erie on Sunday after a US Coast Guard helicopter spotted the group.
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In a statement, the United States Coast Guard reported personnel in a helicopter saw the group of around 18 people and several ATVs on an ice floe around 1 pm Sunday. The ice floe had separated from land near Catawba Island in Lake Erie, which is slightly southwest of Pelee Island.
The Coast Guard helicopter hoisted seven people to safety, while a Coast Guard airboat (a type of flat-bottomed boat often used on large bodies of ice) was launched and rescued four people. A Good Samaritan who was nearby and who also had an airboat on the ice rescued seven people.
Emergency services were on standby but no one required medical attention.
Coast Guard officials remind people participating in recreation on the ice to dress appropriately for the water temperature, not the air temperature; wear a life jacket; carry communication and tools for self-rescue like ice picks or screwdrivers.
“There’s no such thing as safe ice, but people can mitigate their risks,” said Lt. jg Jeremiah Schiessel from the Detroit Coast Guard sector.
“ Always be sure to tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Great Lakes ice is unpredictable, and conditions can change fast.”