TOLEDO, OH (AP) -- Rescuers who plucked 134 stranded fishermen off a huge ice floe in Lake Erie over the weekend want tougher penalties for those who ignore obvious dangers when venturing onto the ice.
Authorities in Ohio say the fishermen should have known better, especially those who crossed cracks to get out to their fishing spot.
They say the men rescued Saturday just east of Toledo also failed to take note of rising temperatures and high winds that made the ice dangerous.
Four Coast Guard helicopters from Coast Guard stations in Detroit and in Traverse City and St. Clair Shores, Mich., assisted in the rescue.
Ottawa County Sheriff Bob Bratton says those who went on the ice were reckless and that new fines need to be looked at.
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