Anglers rescued after drifting on ice into darkness on Minnesota lake

Anglers were rescued from Upper Red Lake in Minnesota on Sunday, 17 December, after a chunk of ice came away from the shore, Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said.

Around 35 people were saved after they began drifting into the darkness across the water.

Footage posted by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division on Facebook showed the expanse of open water and floating ice chunks that separated the anglers from shore.

An airboat was used to cross what initially was 50ft of open water but became 200ft within a couple of hours, officials said.

No-one fell into the icy water and all anglers were rescued.