200 Rescued After Stranded By Broken Ice On Northern Minnesota Lake

BELTRAMI COUNTY, MN — About 200 people were rescued Monday from icy peril in upstate Minnesota after a chunk of ice broke free from the main shoreline on Upper Red Lake in northern Beltrami County, according to authorities.

The sheriff’s office received a 911 call around 11:30 a.m. from fishermen who reported that roughly 100 people on the lake were stranded due to the broken ice, authorities said. First responders arrived at the scene to find up to 30 yards of open water trapping the fishermen, according to the sheriff's office.

Emergency personnel sent a wireless alert to notify everyone on the ice of the evacuation and set up a temporary bridge at a narrow section of the separation to bring an estimated 200 people to safety as of shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

Numerous local and state agencies assisted in the evacuation, along with area resorts, the sheriff’s office said, noting the rescuers used boats, ATVs and drones to bring the hundreds to safety.

“The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office reminds those who are thinking of heading on the ice that early season ice is very unpredictable,” Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton said in a news release. “Extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice and to check the thickness frequently to ensure an adequate amount of ice.”