URGENT URGENT U.P. Breaking News Bulletin – 3-11-18 – 10:12 a.m. ET –
Little Bay de Noc cold water rescue teams underway for nearly 30 minutes, before driver contacts police to say vehicle is empty
By Greg Peterson
U.P. Breaking News
Owner, News Director
906-273-2433
(Gladstone, MI) – A massive search and rescue operation was called off about 9:25 this morning after it was confirmed nobody was in the truck that went through the ice on Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone, MI.
The rescue call went out at 9 a.m. ET this morning, Sun., March 11, 2018.
At that point, emergency officials did not known if anyone was inside the vehicle. It is apparently a pickup truck or another type of “truck.”
The incident should serve as a reminder for all people who go out on ice in the winter – especially the bigger lakes. Channels and bays can change rapidly and be unstable. Remember snowmobiles have gone through the ice in Munising – and there was a fatal tragedy last week when the ice broke on Thousand Island Lake in Gogebic County.
The vehicle apparently broke through the ice about a mile to a mile-and-a-half offshore from the Days River ice fishing area. Rescuers were told to go to the northern-most yellow gate at the Days River ice fishing landing.
Cold water rescue squads from townships in two counties responded to the scene – on the Gladstone side of the bay – and on the Stonington Peninsula. Rescuers from both Schoolcraft County and Delta County responded.
A an half hour into the incident, the owner of the truck called from Escanaba to say no one was hurt and the truck is empty.
With the vehicle sitting on the bottom of Lake Michigan, law enforcement wants to talk to the Escanaba man who was driving – and he may have had a female passenger.
The man, whose name has not been released, was told to meet police in Gladstone.
Among those responding were the Delta County Search and Rescue , Delta County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police, and rescue crews from Nahma Township Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue and Ensign Township Volunteer Fire Department – (both townships have ice rescue training) and many other townships closer to the river.
Just yesterday (Saturday) – and February 2017 – Delta County Search and Rescue practiced their ice rescue skills.
Check out these links to training photos from yesterday:
Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 