They went with the floe.
Ten people had to be rescued in Ohio — after getting stranded on ice floes that broke away from the shore of Lake Erie.
The Great Lakes division of the Coast Guard announced Sunday afternoon that it was rescuing seven adults and three children who ignored safety advice to stay off the ice on the frozen lake.
The 10 stranded people appeared to be in two separate groups who had wandered onto the ice, then became stranded when it cracked free on a sunny day and drifted out into the lake, WOIO said.
Six were rescued by a Coast Guard ice skiff, while the other four were taken to shore by a Cleveland Fire Department rescue team, officials said.
All 10 were offered medical observation at the scene, but it appears none were treated or taken to the hospital, reported WOIO, which noted one even had ice skates.
One witness, Cleveland local Richard Radice, told the station the rescued people were “very, very, very lucky.”
“That ice could have [gone] thinner and they could have fallen in. You fall in this water hypothermia hits real quick and you’re gone,” he said, branding the group’s escapades “foolish.”
The day before the rescue, the National Weather Service had warned of dangerous conditions, saying, “It is advised to stay off the ice on Lake Erie as areas of ice could break off from the shore. If you are on the ice and it breaks away from shore, you will become stranded.”
Just before the rescue, the service shared aerial images showing “significant cracks and shifting of ice on Lake Erie.”
“Definitely do not recommend going on the ice,” the service warned.
