Coast Guard rescues young girls stranded on rock in Lake Superior

Coast Guard rescues stranded girls on Lake Superior

On Saturday night, four girls found themselves stranded on a cold, dark rock formation in Lake Superior.

(FOX 9) - On Saturday night, four girls between the ages of 8 and 14 found themselves stranded on a cold, dark rock formation in Lake Superior.

What we know:

Their parents called 911, explaining that the girls used paddle boards to reach an island, but lost their paddles, and became stranded.

The Minnesota Air Rescue Team in St. Paul was unable to help because of the weather on Saturday night, so the Coast Guard sent a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Traverse City, Michigan.

"Holding the solid hover over water at night without any visual references was definitely the most challenging part," Coast Guard flight commander Pat Grissler told FOX 9.

At the scene, rescue swimmer Nicholas Mauricio dropped to land to hoist the girls up in a rescue basket.

"I noticed that initially she was a little bit shaken up because of how loud the helicopter was," Coast Guard rescue swimmer Nicholas Mauricio said.

"The youngest looked up a little bit scared," Mauricio added. "They all were. They’ve been there for a few hours."