2 snowmobilers die after falling through ice in Michigan

Two men who were reported missing early Sunday died after their snowmobiles fell through the ice on a lake in northern Michigan, authorities said.

UpNorthLive, the NBC affiliate in Traverse City, reported sheriff’s deputies were called at around 12:30 a.m. by family members who said they hadn’t heard from the two men for several hours. Relatives told police the men may have been snowmobiling on trails in Lake County.

Search efforts eventually extended into nearby Mason County, where someone located snowmobile tracks entering Round Lake in Sheridan Township. As the search continued, what appeared to be a snowmobile helmet was found on the icy lake, UpNorthLive reported.

A drone was later deployed and confirmed a hole in the ice, along with the helmet, authorities said. Divers from both the Michigan State Police and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and located the bodies in approximately six feet of water, police said. Divers also found both snowmobiles, which were submerged in the lake.

Authorities hadn’t identified the two men who died but said they were 49 and 65 years old and both from Grand Haven, Michigan.

During the search, a state police diver fell through the ice, but they were tethered to another diver properly and weren’t injured, police stated.