The rescue efforts happened Saturday near Port Clinton; those responding included the Coast Guard helicopters from Detroit. LAKE ERIE, Ohio waters — The U.S. Coast Guard and local agencies rescued 46 ice fishermen from an ice floe that broke free near Catawaba Island, Saturday. An additional estimated 100 people were able to self-rescue themselves from the ice floe either by swimming or walking on ice-bridges that were still connected to the floe initially. At 8:13 a.m., Coast Guard Station Marblehead received notification from an Ohio Department of Natural Resources representative that there were approximately 100 people stranded on an ice floe and that there were an additional 30 to 40 people in the water. Coast Guard District 9 Command Center launched two 20-foot Special Purpose Craft–airboats from Station Marblehead, two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Detroit, and two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Traverse City to respond for a mass rescue. Catawaba Island Fire, Put-in-Bay Fire and Southshore Towing also responded with airboats, while ODNR, North Central EMS and Danbury EMS assisted in the search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard Station Marblehead arrived on scene at approximately 8:50 a.m. and there were no persons in the water. Those who had fallen in or intentionally entered the water to try to swim to land were all back on the ice or land. Approximately 100 people were able to walk to shore via portions of ice that were still unbroken; however, as the temperature continued to rise, the ice broke into multiple separate ice floes. The remaining fishermen were rescued by the airboat crews and helicopter crews. By approximately 11:15 a.m., all persons who had been stranded on the ice were rescued. As temperatures begin to rise, the Coast Guard strongly urges people not to go out onto ice. Ice may look safe but it is difficult to determine the thickness visually and the increase in warm weather will continue to melt and weaken the ice. Online: Coast Guard news release<doc-sep>Article content MARBLEHEAD, Ohio — A sheet of ice holding fishermen on Lake Erie broke loose in windy weather Saturday morning, sending many of them scrambling to safety but leaving nearly four dozen stranded on the floe for three hours more than a mile offshore until emergency crews could rescue them. About 100 of 146 fishermen out on the ice were able to grab their gear and make it back to shore before any additional ice broke off, The Blade of Toledo reported. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Dozens rescued after being trapped on Lake Erie ice floe Back to video One of the stranded fishermen, 42-year-old Tony Adkins, said the ice began to crack quickly and soon there was a huge gap between the ice floe and the shore. “Thank God the Coast Guard was here for us,” Adkins, of Akron, Ohio, told The Blade . “You live and you learn, I guess.” The Coast Guard and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office began receiving reports around 8:30 a.m. Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on a floe broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island.<doc-sep>'Whoever Is Watching This, They're Going To Get A Thrill': Willy T. Ribbs, Paul Tracy, Ernie Francis Jr. Discuss Superstar Racing ExperienceThe Superstar Racing Experience inaugural season begins on June 12 at Stafford Speedway. 'Rugrats' Voice Actors E.G. 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The 74th Annual 'Tony Awards' And 'The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!' Come To CBS September 26thCBS and Tony Award Productions will celebrate Broadway’s highly anticipated return to live theatre with a multiplatform event The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back! Sunday, September 26th (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) broadcasting on CBS and available to stream live and on demand with Paramount+ or the CBS app.<doc-sep>A large number of people were stuck on a floating chunk of ice that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island. PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Authorities say nearly four dozen fishermen trapped on an ice floe in Lake Erie have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and local emergency personnel in northern Ohio. The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports around 8:30 a.m. Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island. Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says the Coast Guard launched helicopters out of Detroit, and local rescue personnel sent airboats to retrieve the stranded fishermen. McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments. About 100 people made it back to shore on their own. ►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.<doc-sep>
Over 100 ice fisherman began floating out to sea on the sheet of ice. An ice floe became a nightmare for dozens of fishermen in Lake Erie on Saturday afternoon after rising temperatures caused the chuck of ice to float away from shore. The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to rescue 46 ice fishermen near Catawba Island, Ohio, after the sheets broke free and began floating away with them on it. When the ice began to break and separate from the shore, about 100 other fishermen were able to get back on land. The Coast Guard was called to rescue the remaining fishermen with help from Catawba Island Fire, Put-in-Bay Fire and Southshore Towing. "As soon as we got our lines down a guy started screaming and that's when we knew something had happened," fisherman James Gibelyou told Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS. "Running across, guys were falling in," Gibelyou continued. "I decided to stay back; I knew better to wait for rescue." Gibelyou said he waited a couple hours for rescue and floated almost 2 miles out into the lake. There were no injuries reported. The high temperature in Sandusky, just a few miles south of Catawaba Island, was a relatively balmy 41 degrees on Saturday. The high just four days earlier was 19 degrees. The water temperature in Lake Erie was 33 degrees off Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Ice fishing is a popular pastime along the northwest coast of Ohio. Walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass are all common in the western basin during the winter season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife. "As temperatures begin to rise, the Coast Guard strongly urges people not to go out onto ice," the service said in a statement. "Ice may look safe but it is difficult to determine the thickness visually and the increase in warm weather will continue to melt and weaken the ice." Everyone was rescued by 11:15 a.m., the Coast Guard said.