Man dies when transport vehicle crashes through ice on Minnesota lake

BAUDETTE, Minn. — A passenger died after a commercial transport vehicle crashed through ice on a Minnesota lake. Meanwhile, government officials are warning people to be on the lookout for ice that is unusually thin for this time of winter.

The transport vehicle, commonly known as a “bomber,” crashed through the ice on Lake of the Woods Thursday morning, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The body of a male passenger was recovered about seven hours later by a dive team, the sheriff's office said.

The victim's name has not been released.

Paul Colson, owner of Jake's Northwest Angle Resort, told the Star Tribune that a neighboring resort was operating a snow bus when it broke through the ice. Colson said about five or six passengers were able to escape with the driver's help.

Bombers are equipped with caterpillar tracks. They are used on the American side of the lake to transport customers to and from ice fishing locations away from shore.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said ice conditions have worsened in recent days. Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs said on Facebook that “few, if any, parts of the state have the ice thickness necessary” to place structures on the ice for anglers, known as wheelhouses.

Riggs, whose county includes the popular ice fishing destination Upper Red Lake, said conservation officers and county deputies have responded to several recent incidents involving vehicles and wheelhouses falling through the ice. That includes three rescues on Upper Red Lake, Riggs said.

Temperatures are expected to drop in northern Minnesota, but officials warned it will take several more days for the ice to thicken.