By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia) : Rescuers saved 50 fishermen as they were carried away on an ice floe in a lake on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, the regional emergencies department said Sunday.
The rescuers received alert on an ice floe drifting from the coast of Lake Busa Sunday afternoon. There were about a hundred fishermen on the ice at the moment.
About 40 fishermen were able to come ashore when the ice floe touched land for a moment while the rescuers saved the others using floating crafts, the emergencies department said.
Ice-fishing, which involves drilling a hole in the ice, is extremely popular in Russia. The rescue services are often called out to save fisherman who have got into difficulties.