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675 Fisherman Rescued From Drifting Ice

A group of 675 fisherman stranded on a piece of ice that broke from the shore and began drifting out to sea Sunday has been rescued, Interfax reported.

Rescuers used boats and helicopters to reach the stranded fisherman in the Sakhalin region, just off the coast of the island in Russia's far-east.

Internet users on a local online forum shared details about the incident, estimating that the ice drifted as far as 2 kilometers from the shore, Interfax said.

"The women and children have already been taken away. I've just gotten in touch on the phone — now the men are fighting for places on the boats," one person wrote on the forum. Local residents said cracks in the ice were already visible the day before.

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