Rescue operation underway for dozens of fishermen stranded on Minnesota ice floe, officials say

Dozens of fishermen were stranded on an ice floe Friday evening that became detached on a lake in northern Minnesota, authorities said.

An estimated 75 to 100 people were stranded on the ice floe in Upper Red Lake after it broke apart from the main ice, a spokesperson for the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office told CBS News in a statement.

There were no reports that anyone had fallen into the water, the sheriff’s spokesperson said.

“The open water is too large to bridge and we are working on an operation to get people back to shore,” the spokesperson added.

Emergency crews were responding, the spokesperson said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Red Lake is the largest inland lake in Minnesota, measuring about 451 square miles. It is divided into two parts, Upper Red Lake and Lower Red Lake. The lake is approximately one hour from the Canadian border.