THOMPSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZMQ) – Authorities responded to a snowmobile crash on Indian Lake on February 21st.
The incident occurred around 6:35 p.m. when a 911 call reported a snowmobile breaking through the ice at Indian Lake, approximately one mile off the lake’s south shore.
The snowmobile carrying two teenage males broke through the ice. Attempts by family members to rescue the teenagers resulted in additional individuals entering the water. Emergency services, including Manistique Public Safety, Sault Tribal Police, Schoolcraft County Sheriffs Department, Michigan DNR, Thompson Township Fire, and troopers from Manistique and Gladstone MSP posts were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Three individuals, including two family members and one snowmobile occupant, were successfully pulled from the water by officers from Manistique Public Safety and Sault Tribal PD. They were subsequently transported to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital for treatment of hypothermia and later discharged.
Efforts to locate the snowmobile’s driver, a 15-year-old male, proved challenging during the initial rescue operation. The Delta County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team joined the search, eventually locating the driver around 1:06 am on February 22nd. The teenager was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The incident remains under investigation by authorities.
WZMQ will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
