Over 500 people, including women and children, adrift on ice floe on Latvian shore

[Bosonic]

Source: Russia Today

Over 500 people, including women and children, are drifting away from the shores of Latvia on two large ice floes, the country’s emergency service has reported.

A massive rescue operation is underway in the Gulf of Riga, with helicopters and Navy ships involved. Bad weather conditions and high waves are hampering the rescue efforts.

There are 500 people on an ice floe near Vakarbulli beach and 43 on another near Majori beach.

The Latvian Emergency Ministry has once again urged people not to walk on ice.

Read more: http://rt.com/news/latvia-ice-gulf-riga-054/

[Evasporque]

1. can you not walk on ice in Latvia?

?

[treestar]

6. Jesus can.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

10. Which one?

Stern Jesus, Hippy Jesus, Baby Jesus, Christmas Jesus, Western Jesus, Buddy Jesus, Surf'n Jesus?

[treestar]

13. Baltic Iceman Jesus

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

14. Heretic!

[krispos42]

19. It can interfere with his vacations, though...

[treestar]

20. hilarious!

[OneGrassRoot]

21. Ha!

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Ironically, BBC radio had a reporter in Latvia this morning

(to talk about Latvia joining the Euro next year), and he finished with "some good news, though, from Latvia - the ice covering the rivers and ports here is thawing, so hopefully those warmer temperatures are on their way to you".

[treestar]

3. I remember seeing how trucks drove across Lake Ladoga

To get supplies to people in Leningrad during WWII. On a TV show about it. So that ice can be pretty thick.

I wondered how or why they got there!

[RILib]

4. It was probably a place they were used to being and that was safe

before warming.

[treestar]

5. Yes, what I was thinking

It is normal to walk on ice in certain places. It's interesting they were not even skating! It must normally be very thick ice and usually safe to walk on.

We used to skate on a local pond, but no one seems to do that any more here. Mid Atlantic area where we hardly get snow any more.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Latvia rescues 220 people stranded on ice floes

RIGA, Latvia — Latvia's rescue service says it has rescued more than 220 people who became stranded on large ice floes in two separate places in the Gulf of Riga.

State Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele says boats, ships and helicopters were mobilized in the rescue operation after large sections of ice broke away from the shore and floated into the gulf due to warm southerly winds.

Sembele said Friday that 180 people were rescued in the town of Vakarbulli near the capital Riga and a further 41 people were rescued in the resort town of Jurmala.

Rescue operations involving people stranded on ice floes occur regularly in the Baltic states, particularly with ice fishermen who often stray far from the shore.

http://www.wral.com/latvia-rescues-220-people-stranded-on-ice-floes/12283588/

I wish we could have some warm southerly winds in the UK. It remains brass monkey weather here and our clocks go forward tonight - so much for spring.

[Marrah_G]

8. The story doesn't say why so many people were out on the ice

Was there some sort of event?

[dipsydoodle]

9. Probably a combination of that and those fishing.

Today, Good Friday, is a public holiday there.

[Marrah_G]

11. Ahhh that makes sense

I hope they can get everyone to safety

[OnlinePoker]

12. I hate titles like this

It makes it sound like the men are unimportant.

[Threedifferentones]

15. Ya IDK why they have to say including women and children so prominently.

There is a cynical perspective which says that a die off in the adult male population is not that bad because it will not really affect the population of the next generation (the remaining males will just have more partners and more kids), but isn't equality a guiding principal? Every human life and all that.

[Arugula Latte]

16. It also makes it seem like "women and children" are one category.

[tblue]

17. Rescue successful! Check the link.

Happy ending!

[marshall]

18. Why is it important to mention the women?

Is it unusual for women to be in Latvia?

[ZombieHorde]

22. Are women and children generally included in the term "people?"

I don't get it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. what the heck