Two Men Rescued From Ice-Covered Southern Minnesota Lake

Madison Lake, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Mayo Clinic Ambulance crew participated in a rescue operation on an ice covered southern Minnesota late this afternoon.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office says emergency responders were called to Madison Lake around 1 PM after receiving reports that a man had fallen through the ice about 1600 feet from shore. Madison Lake is located about 10 miles east of Mankato.

Mayo Clinic Ambulance, the Madison Lake Fire Department, and Blue Earth County deputies responded to the scene and found 71-year-old Frank Cesario of rural Mankato in the frigid water holding onto the edge of the ice. A news release says 75-year-old Joseph Postels of North Mankato was on the surface of the ice. Both men had been fishing.

The rescuers were able to load both men into inflatable rafts and bring them to shore. They were then transported by Mayo Clinic Ambulance for additional treatment related to possible hypothermia.

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The news release says multiple Blue Earth County deputies used cold-whether flotation suits to enter the water and bring the men to safety. It notes that the Sheriff's office began issuing the rescue equipment to patrol deputies several years ago.

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