MILACA, Minn. — An 80-year-old Isle man died Friday after his vehicle went through the ice on Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.

The man was identified by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office as Richard Francis Gadbois.

The sheriff’s office responded to a call of a truck and body through the ice at 10:52 a.m. on Mille Lacs Lake near the MSA Flagship restaurant in Isle. According to a news release, a witness called into the sheriff’s office and said he located an area on the Mille Lacs Lake ice where a truck went through and the body of a man was floating in the water.

The news release said Gadbois was wearing a flotation device and the caller was able to bring him back to shore. Once on shore, Gadbois was transported to the Mille Lacs Health System Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“This is another reminder to the public that ice conditions are not safe for driving cars and trucks on right now,” said Kyle Burton, Mille Lacs County sheriff. “The ice on many lakes across the state is not good clear ice due to rains and warm temperatures.”

Burton said the ice was approximately 6 inches thick where the truck went through and the recommended guideline is 13 to 17 inches of clear ice for a truck.

Meanwhile, two men were rescued Thursday after their UTV broke through the ice on Upper Red Lake in northwestern Minnesota.

The men were reportedly wearing buoyant ice suits that kept them afloat. Bystanders used a rope to get the men back to shore.

The incident came just a day after a vehicle restriction was lifted on Upper Red Lake. It was put in place on Dec. 30 for the safety of anglers and rescue personnel after several ice rescues.

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