200 Stranded on Ice Floes Overnight

About 200 fishermen and snowmobilers were forced to spend a cold and windy night trapped on ice floes on a lake about 45 miles north of Toronto, police said. At least 700 people had been stranded during an ice-fishing derby Saturday after several huge cracks--one more than seven miles and at least 100 yards wide in spots--broke through the thick ice on Lake Simcoe. Police and military emergency crews used helicopters and boats to bring people ashore, but poor visibility from snow squalls and high winds forced the rescuers to close down their operations during the night, police said. About 200 people remained to be rescued, and no injuries had been reported, police said.