WOODBURY, Minn. – One of two children fell through the ice into a lake in Woodbury died Monday, the child’s school district said.
A 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy fell into Markgrafs Lake around 4:30 p.m., public safety officials said. On Friday, Stillwater Area Public Schools said the boy, identified by the district as Yayhe Abdi, died from his injuries.
“District support staff and counselors have been at school this week to support our students and will be available in the future as needed,” the district said in a statement. “This has been a difficult week for our community and we keep Yayhe’s family and friends in our thoughts and prayers.”
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Abdi’s cause of death was drowning.
WCCO has contacted the Woodbury Public Safety Department for more information.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Abdi’s family.
Abdi was in critical condition after the fall, while the 12-year-old was “OK,” according to officials.
Getting the children out of the water was an hours-long operation.
“These are not quick rescue incidents. We have to gather a lot of equipment quickly. We have to get a lot of units to the scene. Putting on a cold water suit is not even as quick as putting on fire bunker gear. so it takes a while to get that equipment together ,” said Woodbury Fire Department Captain Michael Martin. “Yesterday we had to fight our way through ice that wouldn’t stay stable. The rescuers tried to walk on the ice, but they kept breaking through.”
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said ice should be 4 inches thick to walk on, but notes that no ice is 100% safe.
Martin advised people to stay off the ice until later in the winter.
Experts say that if you fall through the ice, you should turn horizontally and kick your legs quickly. If you manage to get back on the ice, crawl on all fours.
Note: The above video originally aired on December 3, 2024.
