Authorities rescued 34 people from a floating chunk of ice that broke away from shore in the bay of Green Bay in eastern Wisconsin, the sheriff's office said Sunday.

No injuries were reported in the incident that happened Saturday morning north of Green Bay, in the arm that's part of Lake Michigan, the Brown County Sheriff's Office reported. Many of the 34 people rescued were ice fishing at the time of the incident.

The chunk of ice floated about three-quarters of a mile during the rescue and was about a mile from the shoreline by the time everyone was brought to solid ground. Authorities said the stranded people were on the separated ice shove for about 90 minutes.

Brown County Sheriff, @sheriffbc/Twitter

A barge traveling through the bay may have caused the ice chunk to break off the shoreline, the sheriff's office said. Shane Nelson, who was making his first ice fishing excursion, said the noise sounded like somebody had fired a gun.

“We thought it was interesting, got out of our shanty, took a look and people were yelling on the ice, ‘We’re separating,’" Nelson told WLUK-TV.

Airboats from the Brown County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard were able to rescue eight passengers at a time.

Note: The total number of rescued individuals was updated on January 11, 2022, from 27 to 34 based on the latest information from the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

Share:
More In Culture
Need2Know: February 10, 2023
The death toll in the Turkey Syria earthquake has passed 21,000, Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig was attacked, and shots to stop bird flu. Here is everything you Need2Know for Friday, February 10, 2023.
Sit Down with Marcus Samuelsson at His Latest NYC Restaurant
Cheddar News is hitting the ground this black history month and putting the people front and center. Our Hena Doba caught up with celebrity chef, restaurateur, and television personality Marcus Samuelsson at his newest NYC restaurant, Hav & Mar, to talk about how he's celebrating culture and seafood, and fueling representation in the industry
Load More