(LITTLE CURRENT, ON) – In the late afternoon on Sunday, March 13, 2016, members of the Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to two separate reports of vehicles breaking through ice on area lakes.
In the first incident, a 41 year old Lively, Ontario man drove his pickup truck on to the thin ice of Lake Wolsey, in Gordon Township, Ontario. Approximately 400 metres from shore the vehicle broke through the ice, and eventually sunk.
In the second incident, a snowmobile and the male driver went through the ice approximately 30 metres from the shore of McGregor Bay, north of Little Current, Ontario. A second snowmobiler broke through as he tried to assist. Both men got out of the water and went to a nearby cottage.
Medical assistance was not required in either incident. The Ministry of the Environment has been notified.
With the mild temperatures on Manitoulin Island in the last two weeks, the OPP urges people to stay off the ice. Once the ice starts to melt, the thickness of the ice can vary greatly and it becomes difficult to determine if the ice is safe. Ice that has formed over flowing water, springs, pressure cracks, old ice holes or around the mouths of rivers and streams may be weaker. Ice can erode from the bottom up leaving you no obvious warning signs of weakness. Do not travel over ice-covered water in early and late winter when conditions are more dangerous.
