The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued four young sisters from a Lake Superior island early Sunday morning after they became stranded during a paddleboard excursion near Silver Bay, Minnesota, officials said.
The girls, ages 14, 13, 10 and 8, paddled to the island from Black Beach on Saturday but lost their paddles and couldn’t return to shore, according to a Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) press release. Law enforcement received a report shortly after 8 p.m. alerting them to the dangerous situation.
Lake County deputies initially attempted a rescue using their boat but large waves and rough water conditions forced them to switch vessels. The Silver Bay Marina manager provided his former USCG boat, which could better handle the extreme conditions.
Deputies reached the island’s coast and made visual contact with the girls, instructing them to remain in place, according to the press release. The Minnesota Air Rescue Team couldn’t fly because of the weather conditions. The deputies secured use of a helicopter from the Coast Guard in Traverse City, Michigan. While waiting for the USCG’s helicopter, rescuers used ropes to deliver food and blankets to the girls, who only had swimsuits in the dropping temperature. (RELATED: ‘American Hero’: Rookie Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Saves 165 Lives in Texas Floods)
The USCG helicopter arrived around 1 a.m. Sunday. The crew lowered a rescue team member and basket onto the island, then hoisted all four girls aboard, according to KARE 11. The helicopter landed in a zone prepared by the Silver Bay Fire Department on the mainland, officials said.
The girls reunited with their parents after the approximately five-hour ordeal. No injuries were reported.