26 stranded people rescued on Lake Simcoe
Posted March 9, 2012 4:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Twenty-six people, including some children, were out on lake Simcoe Friday morning when the ice floe began to break apart.
They were out ice fishing in the Shanty Bay area when they became stranded. At least one person fell into the frigid water.
Local fire departments sent air boats out into the lake and OPP Sergeant Ppeter Leon said fortunately, their headquarters are nearby.
With a violent gust of wind and snow, the ice began to break apart, and OPP Sergeant Peter Leon said the ice fishers became stranded.
“The mild weather certainly contributed to it and a lot of the melt that we had has increased the flow into the lake,” Leon explained.
Several air boats and an OPP helicopter were deployed to rescue the ice fishers, some of whom had fallen into the water. At least one person was flown by helicopter to a Barrie hospital.
Leon said they are lucky to be alive.
“If this happened in the evening hours or something like that, it could have been a lot worse,” he said. “Thankfully we’ve got resources there that we’re dealing with the situation.”
He said incidents like this are why police have been warning people all winter to stay off the ice.
