Dozens rescued after being trapped on ice floe in Russia’s Far East

At least 75 people have been rescued after being trapped on an ice floe that broke away from the shore of Sakhalin island in the Russian Far East on Sunday.

Sakhalin, Russia’s largest island, is a 1,000-kilometer strip of land (621 miles) that lies off the east coast of Russia and just north of Japan.

Emergency services said a 50-meter ice floe broke off near the village of Starodubskoye in the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan, stranding more than 80 fisherman a kilometer offshore.

Rescue operations, with the assistance of a ministry Mi-8 helicopter, are ongoing.

Local emergency services said they had originally received reports on Sunday morning that more than a dozen fishermen were stranded.

Rescue teams were then dispatched by car and motorboat.

While tourists are scarce it is not uncommon for people to become trapped on ice floes in this part of Russia.

The island has seen an increase in visitors in recent years, mostly connected to the development of offshore oil and gas fields.

In 2020, 536 ice fisherman were rescued from an ice floe that broke away from the shore near Mordvinov Bay on Sakhalin, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.