A father and daughter from Connecticut made it to safety after their snowmobiles crashed through an ice-covered lake in northern Maine on Monday evening.
Brian Sutch, 53, and his 16-year-old daughter, Falen, of Manchester, Connecticut, were traveling northwest on North Twin Lake when their machines broke through thin ice around 7 p.m.
While their snowmobiles sank, the pair, wearing full riding gear and helmets, were able to crawl onto safe ice before they called 911 for help.
A game warden and members of the Millinocket Fire Department responded. The Sutches were taken by rescue sled to an ambulance and transported to Millinocket Regional Hospital where they were treated for mild hypothermia.
Both have recovered and were released from the hospital, Cpl. John MacDonald, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, said in a news release issued Tuesday.
However, their snowmobiles, a 2015 Polaris 600 and a 2009 Ski-Doo 600, remain on the bottom of the lake in about 25 feet of water. Wardens plan to remove the snowmobiles once they have been located. North Twin Lake is located west of Millinocket, near Baxter State Park.
The warden service said snowmobilers should exercise caution, especially when riding after dark. Despite cold temperatures, several lakes and ponds still have thin ice.
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