RCMP have issued a warning after two vehicles fell through the ice on a lake west of Edmonton over the weekend.
On Saturday, police were called to Wabamun Lake at around 2:40 p.m. after a truck broke through the ice. The driver and seven passengers were able to get out of the vehicle in time before the truck sank into the lake, RCMP said in a media release Monday afternoon.
The second incident happened at around 9:50 a.m. Sunday. Police said two people were able to get out of the truck they were in before it broke through the ice and went into the water.
No one was injured in either case, but police say it serves as a warning for lake users.
“With the warmer than usual weather this winter coupled with the water conditions in Wabamun Lake, the ice has remained thin with some areas not freezing over at all. This increases the risk of being on thin ice in these areas, and falling through.”
There are signs posted at the lake warning people of the thin ice.
“The consequences of ignoring these signs can be quite serious,” police said.
“In both recent cases, everyone was lucky to get out of their vehicle in time.”
RCMP also warned that the owner of the vehicle will be responsible for the cost of recovering it from the water, along with any environmental remediation costs that may come as a result of a vehicle leaking fluids.
Wabamun Lake is located about 65 kilometres west of Edmonton.