Ontario Police Rescue 23 in Georgian Bay Ice Rescue That Caused Hypothermia Risk

Sunday at about noon ET, Ontario Provincial Police officers rescued 23 fishermen after an ice shelf broke from shore and drifted into Georgian Bay in southwestern Ontario, creating a large-scale georgian bay ice rescue that left several people partially submerged and at risk of hypothermia.

Georgian Bay Ice Rescue Prompted Aviation, Marine and Fire Responses

Ontario police said the ice shelf drifted for about two kilometres and then split into several sections, which caused some people on the ice to fall into the water and become partially submerged. Emergency responders from OPP aviation and marine units and fire departments from counties around the Georgian Triangle responded to the distress calls, and aviation units were used to airlift people back to shore.

Const. Craig Soldan Describes Distress Call Timeline and Conditions

Const. Craig Soldan of the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police said in an interview that officers received a distress call just before noon after several fishermen became stranded. He said 23 fishermen had gone out in several different groups earlier in the day when the ice was still attached to shore, and that the ice separated from shore and drifted quickly into the bay.

“The ice also split into several different sections, which caused some of the people on the ice to fall into the water and fully submerge and have to float, (and) wait for rescue, ” Soldan said, describing how some people were forced to float in icy water while crews organized the response.

Cobble Beach Facility Used for Triage as All 23 Were Airlifted Back

The detachment said on its social media page that the situation became life-threatening for several people due to hypothermia, and local facilities assisted responders. Police said the Cobble Beach Golf Course opened its facility to allow for aviation units and triage response, and by mid-afternoon everyone was safely airlifted back to shore with minor injuries including hypothermia.

Police said all those rescued were expected to make a full recovery. Between about noon and about 2: 30 p. m. ET, crews retrieved all 23 people who were on the various sections of ice and brought them to safety, the detachment said.

That rescue effort followed a weekend of unusually warm conditions and rain in parts of Ontario that contributed to unstable ice; police noted hazardous conditions after separate incidents on nearby Lake Ontario left multiple people in the water the previous day.

The georgian bay ice rescue highlighted the rapid danger when shore-attached ice detaches: in this incident, groups of fishermen who had gone out earlier in the day found the ice had separated and drifted into deeper water, creating a multi-agency emergency response that relied on air and marine assets to recover everyone safely.

All 23 people were retrieved by about 2: 30 p. m. ET and brought to shore; police said they were expected to make a full recovery.