Twenty people stranded on an ice floe on Lake Erie in Ohio are safe, the Coast Guard said Monday.
All were either rescued or able to get to shore on their own.
The group was stranded on the ice near Catawba Island State Park in Ottawa County, a recreational site known for boating, fishing and water activities, officials said.
Coast Guard rescuers were able to bring nine people to shore, while local first responders helped four more reach safety, the agency said Monday afternoon on X. Seven others were able to get to the shoreline on their own, it said.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said no injuries were reported. It wasn't clear how the group of seven was able to get ashore. A statement with more details was expected from the Coast Guard shortly.
The Coast Guard’s Air Station Detroit and Marblehead Station responded with local authorities for rescue operations, the Coast Guard's 9th District, based in Cleveland, wrote Monday on X.
It's unclear why the group was on the ice.
The Midwest has been battered with severe winter weather for days, including heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
Temperatures in Ohio over the weekend were in the teens but warmed up to the 30s on Monday. Lake-effect snow also hit the state over the weekend, with over 10 inches reported in greater Cleveland, the National Weather Service said.
A winter weather advisory was in place starting at 8 p.m. Monday and into Tuesday morning for central and west central Ohio, as well as east central Indiana, forecasting freezing rain and ice accumulations, according to the NWS office in Cleveland.
