KHABAROVSK, Russia, March 9 (UPI) -- The Russian Ministry for Emergencies has confirmed as many as 758 fishermen were rescued Sunday from an ice floe in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Using an Mi-8 helicopter owned by the Aviashelf Co., rescuers managed to airlift 350 of the trapped anglers to shore, while rescuers in motorboats freed the remaining fishermen, ITAR-TASS said.
While it is believed all of those trapped on the ice have been rescued, emergency officials reportedly were scanning the area for any remaining individuals.
The icy rescue was necessary after the ice floe broke away from shore Sunday. The large chunk of ice then began to drift away from the coast of the island of Sakhalin.
ITAR-TASS said the incident occurred despite repeated warnings in the region that ice breakaways could occur.
