Hamilton police rescue family on pink flamingo pool float in Lake Ontario

Police in Hamilton, Ont. are warning people of the dangers of using recreational pool floats in large bodies of water, after a family of three adults got stranded on Lake Ontario Tuesday night on an inflatable flamingo.

Police say they received the call at around 2 a.m. Wednesday from the family, who said they had drifted away from Hamilton’s Pier 4 at around 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

According to investigators, the group was equipped with oars and an air horn, but did not have life jackets.

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“They decided to call 911 when the colder temperatures started to set in and large ships passed by them on the water,” police said in a release.

Police found the family floating about four kilometres from the shoreline. They had been stranded for about four hours, police say.

All three people were brought to safety and were not injured.

1:04 Toronto man rescued by Canadian Coast Guard after vessel capsizes on Lake Ontario