The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday afternoon it was conducting a "mass rescue" operation of 20 people on Lake Erie after an ice float broke away while people were on snowmobiles.
In a tweet, the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes said that the rescue is taking place near Catawba Island, Ohio in Lake Erie, and noted that a Good Samaritan with an airboat was assisting in the rescue operation.
The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday afternoon it is conducting a "mass rescue" operation of 20 people on Lake Erie after an ice float broke away while people were snowboarding. (@JEmersonYoung1)
The U.S. Coast Guard was also using an airboat and helicopter to assist in the rescue efforts, according to the tweet.
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An individual who was near the scene of the incident told Fox News Digital that the rescue operation was not taking place too far out into the lake.
Later on Sunday, the Coast Guard said it had rescued 18 people and that none required medical attention.
"Rescue efforts began about 1 p.m. after an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit noticed approximately 20 people on an ice floe, with several ATVs looking for a route back to land. The helicopter lowered its rescue swimmer and began hoisting operations while Station Marblehead’s airboat got underway. The helicopter hoisted seven people from the floe, four others were rescued by the Coast Guard airboat, and the remaining seven were rescued and transported to shore by a Good Samaritan who also had an airboat on scene. Emergency medical services were standing by, but no one required medical attention," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
