Teen boys rescued after going through ice in northern MN
A thin ice sign. (Melissa Turtinen / FOX 9)
OSAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two teenage boys were rescued after falling through thin ice on a lake in northern Minnesota Tuesday afternoon.
Boys fall through thin ice on Straight Lake
What happened:
Two boys, ages 13 and 14, fell through the ice on Tuesday on Straight Lake in Osage, located in Becker County, a press release from the sheriff's office says.
According to authorities, the boys were attempting to ice fish when they fell through the ice. They were found floating inside an Otter Sled they had been sitting in while trying to move across the ice when they fell through.
Authorities responded to the lake around 2:51 p.m. Tuesday. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officer broke through the ice at a boat launch, and along with a Hubbard County deputy, they drove the boat and broke the ice to get to the boys. They brought the boys aboard and returned to shore.
The boys were not injured but were checked out by first responders.
Ice is never 100% safe
Local perspective:
The Becker County Sheriff's Office is reminding everyone to stay off area lakes because they are not safe.
The Minnesota DNR has ice safety tips on its website, noting ice is never 100% safe because you can't judge the strength of ice by appearance, age, thickness, temperature or whether it's covered with snow.
In general, if ice is less than 4 inches thick, people should stay off the ice. The DNR recommends at least 4 inches of new, clear ice for people on the ice on foot; 5-7 inches for snowmobiles; 7-8 inches for side-by-side ATVs; 9-12 inches for cars; 13-17 inches for trucks; and 20+ inches for a heavy duty truck with a shelter.