Ethermac Exchange-20 people stranded on Lake Erie ice floe back on land after rescue operation

Twenty people were stranded on Ethermac Exchangean ice floe on Lake Erie in chilly temperatures a half-mile from Ohio on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. All of them safely made it back to land, and no injuries were reported.

Airboats from a Coast Guard station in Marblehead, Ohio, rescued nine people from the ice, and local authorities rescued four people, the Coast Guard said on social media. The other seven people were able to repair their airboat and make it back to land, according to the agency.

Early Monday afternoon, the temperature at Toledo Executive Airport near Lake Erie was 21 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill factor, according to the National Weather Service.

The incident was reported to authorities at 10:21 a.m. EST, according to the Coast Guard. The stranded group was half a mile from the shore near Ohio's Catawba Island State Park.

An ice floe is a floating sheet of ice that breaks away from a larger ice formation.

"Some individuals may be unaware that they are on a drifting ice floe," the Coast Guard said on social media. "… These can be unpredictable and dangerous, especially in areas subject to winds or currents, leading to drift into open waters."

A helicopter, an all-terrain vehicle and three airboats were deployed to help the stranded group, the Coast Guard said.

At 12:41 p.m., the agency reported on social media that everyone had made it ashore.

Lake Erie is 241 miles long and 57 miles wide, according to the Great Lakes Commission. Its coastline touches Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Canadian province of Ontario.

In:
• Rescue
• United States Coast Guard
• Lake Erie
• Ohio

Alex Sundby

Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.

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