Man Dies When Vehicle Goes Through Ice on Lake Bemidji

BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say one man died when a vehicle went through the ice on Lake Bemidji in northwestern Minnesota.

Rescue personnel who responded to a call about 5:30 p.m. on Friday found that a woman was able to get out of the water on her own and was transported to a local hospital. A man was pulled out of the vehicle by a Bemidji firefighter wearing a cold water immersion suit, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said.

The man was eventually transferred to a Fargo, North Dakota hospital, where he died.

Authorities said the vehicle was found in 8 to 10 feet of water in an area near Bemidji State University. Deputies estimated that the ice was 4- to 5-feet thick.

“The ice in the area is unstable, much like many areas lakes,” the sheriff’s department said in a release.

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