Municipalities and emergency services warn of skating on natural ice

Emergency services are busy this Sunday with skaters who have tumbled or fallen through the ice. That is why municipalities and safety regions are calling on people to be very careful.

The neighboring municipalities of Alblasserdam, Molenlanden and Hardinxveld-Giessendam in Zuid-Holland are issuing a joint appeal Sunday not to skate on natural ice. "The natural ice in the Alblasserwaard region is too thin and too unsafe to skate on. It is dangerous. Skate safely at your local rink today!" they report.

The municipality of De Ronde Venen in the province of Utrecht warns of unreliable ice on the Botshol, a lake area not far from the Vinkeveense Plassen.

A skater fell through the ice there Sunday morning. "Fortunately, he only damaged a wet suit. The ice on the Botshol is unreliable, so don't go skating there. Do not put yourself and emergency workers in danger!" calls the municipality.

Furthermore, the municipality of Steenwijkerland in Overijssel warns of holes in the ice, which can cause dangerous situations.

The safety region Hollands Midden, which includes Leiden, Gouda and Alphen aan den Rijn, mentions that Sunday is a beautiful skating day. "Be careful big lakes though. The emergency services are busy! Only call 112 in an emergency and don't go on the ice alone!"

Earlier this weekend, a 19-year-old man was rescued from the city canal in Breda in the night from Saturday to Sunday. He wanted to walk across the ice to the other side, but fell through it several times and was unable to get out of the water on his own.

Officers pulled him out of the water with a rope and was taken to a hospital with hypothermia, the police said. Another walker was also pulled from the ice as he went out.