Over 40 ice fishermen rescued after ice floe breaks off in Lake Erie

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The Coast Guard and other agencies on Saturday rescued 46 ice fishermen who were on an ice floe that broke off near Catawba Island on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, the coast guard said.

There were more people on the ice floe, but around 100 were able to “self-rescue” by swimming or walking across ice bridges that had been connected to the floe, according to the maritime law enforcement and rescue agency.

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"It happened really fast," Tony Adkins, 42, of Akron, told the Toledo Blade newspaper. He was on the ice for around 20 minutes before the cracks in the ice appeared. "We didn’t know there was open water beyond us," he said.

"Thank God the Coast Guard was here for us,” Adkins told the newspaper. "You live and you learn, I guess."

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