On January 14th, while holding an ice fishing event at the Chenjiapu Xiaoming Fishing Ground in Yutian County, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, the ice suddenly cracked, causing multiple people to fall into the water. The authorities have not released casualty information, but local netizens speculate that 6 people have died.
According to a netizen who posted a video on January 14th, multiple people at the Xiaoming Fishing Ground in Yutian County, Tangshan City, Hebei Province fell into the water while ice fishing. In the video, at least 20-30 people were standing on the ice fishing when suddenly the ice beneath cracked, causing them to fall into the water one after another. The scene was chaotic, with some people calling for help in the lake, others breaking the ice to rescue people, and some throwing lifebuoys to those who had fallen into the water. Some people near the shore managed to scramble to safety, becoming “wet chickens.” The footage shows that most of the anglers were only wearing a pair of rain shoes and not life jackets.
Reported by the “Hangzhou Daily,” an eyewitness saw one of the fallen individuals struggling in the water before quickly disappearing. Later, this witness uploaded a video showing one of the fallen individuals being rescued and receiving CPR assistance. However, the witness stated that due to the extended time in the water, the likelihood of survival for the rescued individual was low.
Regarding the cause of the accident, an informant told Benliu News that on that day, at the Xiaoming Fishing Ground in Yutian County, many anglers were breaking the ice for winter fishing. Due to the excessive number of people on the ice and holes being drilled, the ice cracked, leading to people falling into the water.
Some netizens also commented, “There were too many holes drilled by the fishermen, the ice was like a sieve.” “This year is a warm winter, so the ice thickness is insufficient.” “They even used electric saws, with a bunch of people fighting for positions, it’s impossible not to fall into the water by damaging the ice surface structure.”
Currently, the authorities have not disclosed casualty information, only stating that some individuals were taken to the hospital for treatment. A local netizen revealed in the video’s comment section that the rescue team had reported 4 fatalities, and a few minutes later, the netizen further disclosed that the two individuals taken to the hospital for treatment also did not survive, totaling 6 fatalities. This information is yet to be confirmed.