Carcross RCMP rescue snowmobilers after icy plunge through lake

Two men whose snowmobiles fell through the ice near Carcross, Yukon, are safe after a daring lake rescue by RCMP officers, according to a release issued Friday afternoon.

According to the release. Carcross RCMP got a call Thursday afternoon, advising that the snowmobilers had fallen through the ice on nearby Bennett Lake.

After travelling to the lake by snowmobile, the officers were able to spot the two men with binoculars, approximately nine metres from shore.

"One man had made his way out onto the ice, and the other was standing on the submerged snowmobile," the release reads."Officers extended a ladder to the man in the water, and were able to quickly get him to a safe, dry area."

The two officers then started a fire to warm up the men, who were eventually picked up by a rescue helicopter and taken to Whitehorse. The rescued men were "mildly hypothermic but conscious and alert," according to the release.

"This incident is an example of the reality of policing in the North," RCMP Insp. Lindsay Ellis said in the release."We may not tell these stories often, but our employees risk their lives to save others in situations like this on a regular basis."

Police used the incident as an opportunity to warn the public that despite recent cold temperatures, not all waterways in the Yukon are frozen. The release asks locals to use extreme caution and check ice thickness when heading out onto lakes and rivers.