PHEW

18 People Rescued From Breakaway Ice Floe After Snowmobiling on Lake Erie

No injuries were reported after a successful rescue operation, performed with the help of an unnamed “Good Samaritan” with an airboat.

More than a dozen people have been rescued after getting stranded on a floating piece of ice on Lake Erie, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials announced a “mass rescue” effort of approximately 20 people on Sunday, noting that that chunk of ice near Catawba Island had broken away “while people were snowmobiling.” Two hours later, the number was revised to 18 people upon the conclusion of a successful operation, with no injuries reported, according to an agency statement. The rescue was performed with the help of a “Good Samaritan with [an] airboat,” according to an earlier tweet from the Coast Guard. The unnamed individual helped seven of the stranded to shore, the agency said, with a Coast Guard helicopter and airboat taking the other 11 people to safety.