675 ice fishermen resued from floe

Russia’s emergency services rescued 675 fishermen from an ice floe that was drifting out to sea in the far east of the country yesterday.

None of the ice fishermen needed medical treatment, rescue services on Sakhalin Island said.

About half were picked up by helicopters and the rest by boat.Officials had a report at noon that a floe was drifting with hundreds of fishermen on it. Within seven hours, all had been rescued.

One of the fishermen, Vladimir Vasilenko, said they should have known better than to go out on such a day.