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WEATHER

Skater survives plunge as rescuer has stroke

In one of Sweden's first high-profile ice accidents of the winter, a skater got trapped after a frozen lake cracked, sparking a drama that put his rescuer in hospital.

Skater survives plunge as rescuer has stroke
Another ice skater. Photo: Tobias Röstlund/TT

The male ice skater was out on Lake Barken in Dalarna in northern Sweden when he fell through the ice and plunged into the freezing waters below.

Luckily, another man came to the rescue, but he ended up having a stroke as he attempted to save the struggling amateur winter sportsman.

The incident happened at around 10.30am on Wednesday, with emergency services called to the scene to assist both victims.

“Both men are now out of the water. They have been transferred by ambulance to hospital. They were conscious but were frozen,” Stefan Dangardt, a press spokesperson for the region's police force told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

In a separate comment to Swedish broadcaster SVT, he described the conditions in the lake as “treacherous”.

Police did not immediately confirm the men's identities or ages.

The accident is one of the first ice-related dramas of the winter.

In November, a 25-year-old female police officer died and another was seriously injured after their vehicle ended up in a lake during a car chase on icy roads in Åsele municipality, also in northern Sweden.

Days after Christmas, severe ice and snow hit southern Sweden for the first time, causing more than 20 accidents in just a few hours.