Two experienced ice fishers fall through thin ice in Inari as Lapland’s ice conditions become unusually unpredictable

Two men narrowly escaped drowning after their snowmobile broke through unexpectedly thin ice on Lake Inari, as unusually variable ice conditions across northern Lapland create hazardous conditions, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The incident occurred on Sunday when Jari Multasuo and Jari Härö, both seasoned ice fishers, were checking ice thickness on Lake Inari. Despite drilling dozens of test holes—including one just 400 meters from the accident site where the ice measured 50 centimeters thick—the ice suddenly gave way beneath Härö’s snowmobile. The ice had thinned to just 10–15 centimeters, covered by a layer of slush.

Multasuo immediately called emergency services after Härö shouted that his snowmobile was sinking. Attempting to reach his companion, Multasuo also fell through but managed to pull himself out. Härö remained in the frigid water for nearly two hours before rescuers arrived. Firefighters had to abandon their vehicle half a kilometer from the scene, completing the final stretch by snowmobile and swimming through broken ice.

Leo-Juhani Meriö, a hydrologist at the Finnish Environment Institute, attributes the dangerous conditions to an early spring. While ice on Lake Inari is currently 15 centimeters thinner than the seasonal average, other lakes like Kilpisjärvi, Kevojärvi, and Ounasjärvi remain at normal thickness. “Sunlight and warming temperatures weaken the ice, especially when water seeps onto the surface and forms slush, accelerating decay from below,” Meriö explained.

He warned that ice appearance can be deceptive: clear “steel ice” requires 5–10 centimeters to support a person, while milky “candle ice” needs double the thickness due to its brittle structure. Water currents further destabilize ice sheets.

Rescue operations faced extreme challenges due to the fragmented ice. Fire Chief Jukka Huttunen told Yle that crews had to swim the final 200 meters through broken ice floes to reach the victims.