A chunk of ice broke off from the shore along Green Bay, sending 27 people standing on it adrift on the water, forcing local authorities to launch a rescue effort as the berg floated to open water, the Associated Press reports.
The berg floated more than three-quarters of a mile as first responders evacuated the group, which had already drifted a quarter mile before rescuers from the local sheriff’s office and the US Coast Guard piloting airboats arrived.
Many of those rescued were ice fishing before the berg separated from the main ice formation, which may have been caused by a barge striking the ice. Witnesses said the cracking of the ice sounded like a gunshot just before the ice floated free.