Over a hundred individuals were rescued from an ice floe that presumably broke away from a fishing spot along the Minnesota shore of Upper Red Lake on Friday night, according to police.
According to a statement from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, out of the 122 individuals rescued, four had fallen into the cold waters while other spectators were attempting a canoe rescue mission earlier.
"They were brought back to the ice floe to warm in a fishing shelter," claimed the report. The sheriff's office said that all individuals stuck on the floe had been rescued by 7:37 p.m., after first responders had gotten the initial call about them just before 5 p.m.
It added that several agencies were dispatched to the scene of the accident. Fortunately, the sheriff's office did not disclose any injuries.
There was a wind chill that sent the day's warmest hours down into the low 30s, according to National Weather Service data, while temperatures in the area ranged from 15 to 38 degrees on Friday.
Fair to partly cloudy skies with largely clear conditions were reported, which is ideal for ice fishing.
Ice thickness has been quite variable this season, particularly in the north, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division, which has issued a warning to anglers and others.
"Conditions are extremely uneven and changing frequently," it stated on Thursday on Facebook. "Ice conditions will remain poor until there’s a string of cold days to form new, clear ice."