The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued two Canadians stranded on cracked ice in Lake St. Clair, which is divided between Michigan and Ontario.
The rescue occurred Feb. 24 in the municipality of Belle River, Ont., which is located about 30 kilometres east of Windsor, when two men on a four-wheeler became stranded out on the ice of the lake.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said its Air Station Detroit carried out the rescue about one nautical mile north of Belle River out on the lake after having received a request for help from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ont.
Emergency services from Essex-Windsor and the Lakeshore Fire Department also stood by in response near Belle River off Ross Beach Road in Lakeshore, Ont.
Two men, 61 and 65, were riding their all-terrain vehicle out on the lake when they got stuck and became stranded out on the ice, according to the USCG’s Feb. 25 release. The USCG said it deployed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew at 4:07 EST from Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan to rescue the men. Upon arriving at the scene, the crew lowered a rescue swimmer down by hoist to check on the two men, who were assessed and then hoisted up to the hovering helicopter.
The crew then transported the men to Windsor Airport where emergency medical personnel were standing by to do further checks on their status. Both men reportedly did not sustain any injuries in the incident.
Lt. Cristina Silva, helicopter commander assigned to Air Station Detroit, said that cross-border coordination was key in the successful outcome of the rescue mission.
“We are grateful for the collaborative effort on both sides of the border to bring the survivors home safely,” Silva said. “This was a team effort, and I’d like to commend the crews involved in this multi-agency search and rescue case.”
She said the two men avoided injury partly by being well dressed in cold weather gear and having access to communication when they ran into the emergency.
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