Fishermen Return to Thin Ice

Warnings averted a major tragedy
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2009 2:18 AM CST
Fishermen Return to Thin Ice
Firefighters and members of the US Coast Guard work together to move a boat to rescue stranded anglers on Lake Erie.   (AP Photo/Port Clinton News Herald, Jonathon Bird)

Hundreds of ice fisherman were already back on frozen sections of Lake Erie yesterday less than 24 hours after the rescue of 125 fishermen stranded on a drifting ice floe. Some headed to risky areas where currents can create dangerously thin ice, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Experts warned that the ice-floe stranding could have evolved into a major tragedy. A lone fisherman died after falling into the frigid water.

"If the National Weather Service had not broadcast warnings, there could have been 1500 fishermen on the ice," said a veteran ice fishing guide. "They were right on top of the situation."
(More Lake Erie stories.)

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