GREEN BAY, Wis. — At least 34 people were rescued Saturday after being stranded on a large chunk of floating ice off the shore of Green Bay’s Point Comfort, Wisconsin authorities confirmed.
Shane Nelson told WLUK that he and Robert Verhagen had been out ice fishing for the first time when they heard a loud noise.
“It sounded like almost somebody fired a gun out there,” Nelson told the TV station. “We thought it was interesting. We got out of our shanty, looked and ... a couple people were yelling that the ice was separating.”
Officials with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WFRV that the ice chunk separated from the shoreline just after 10 a.m., trapping more than two dozen people in the elements and prompting a full-scale response by deputies, as well as fire officials and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The rescues were completed by noon with the assistance of two airboats, the TV station reported.
According to deputies, the rapidly deteriorating ice chunk floated roughly three-quarters of a mile from shore during the rescue, WLUK reported.
No one was injured during the harrowing incident, authorities confirmed to CNN.
According to the network, law enforcement officials believe that a barge that had traversed the bay shortly before the separation may have contributed to the ice’s destabilization.
Many of those rescued were ice fishing when the ice broke off, The Associated Press reported.
“People out on the ice are always encouraged to maintain awareness of the potential deterioration in their surroundings and keep a cellphone or some way of communicating with them in case there is a need to call for assistance,” the sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
©2022 Cox Media Group
