LAKE OF THE WOODS, Minn. (FOX 9) - One person drowned last week on Lake of the Woods after an ice vehicle carrying eight people cracked through the ice.
Deputies responded shortly after 8 a.m. for the drowning at the Northwest Angle, a quarter-mile south of Flag Island, on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023.
Investigators say a Bombardier tracked vehicle, known as a "Bomber", was carrying eight people to a fishing spot when it broke through about 12 inches of ice. That left the vehicle, and its passengers, in about 10 feet of water.
The driver and a Good Samaritan nearby were able to get seven people to safety until the "cold water prohibited their continued efforts," deputies wrote. The eighth passenger, identified as 78-year-old John Frey of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, was unable to get out of the water. His body was recovered about five hours later, shortly after 1:30 p.m.
The Lake of the Woods Sheriff's Office says the investigation into the incident is ongoing.