LAKE OF THE WOODS, Minn. — Approximately 50 people were rescued from ice in northern Minnesota New Year's Day, according to officials.
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff said dozens of people were stranded about a mile off Long Point after a pressure ridge cracked wide open. Initial reports were that between 20 and 25 people were stranded just before 3 p.m. Officials say a nearby resort was using a boat to bring people across the open water to the southside of the pressure ridge where they were then transported to shore by UTV or snowmobile.
The county sheriff's office, along with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also used airboats and UTVs, saying in total about 50 people were rescued from the lake.
There have been several ice rescues this winter, including multiple on Upper Red Lake. Officials in Beltrami County even restricted traffic last week until the ice conditions improve.
The Minnesota DNR has issued multiple warnings about poor ice conditions statewide, telling the public that the recent combination of wind, rain and warm weather means "few, if any, areas of the state have the ice thickness necessary" for ice fishing.
"Use extreme caution if you venture on area lakes and check the ice thickness frequently," Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs warned in a news release last week.
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