Everyone was safely rescued by 14:37, the sheriff's office said.

Mr Studniski said incidents like this occur every once in a while at the lake during this time of year, and that anglers were calm as they were evacuated.

"Part of our job is monitoring and looking at cracks and watching the [ice] and making sure we have bridges ready when needed," Mr Studniski said.

The sheriff's office warned in its press release that "early season ice is very unpredictable".

"Extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice and to check the thickness frequently to ensure an adequate amount of ice," they said.

Ice fishing season in Minnesota begins as soon as it is cold enough for the ice on the lake to harden and stay put, Mr Studniski said.

Guidelines reposted by the sheriff's office on Facebook state that ice needs to be a minimum of 4in thick to be safe enough for anglers.

Mr Studniski said his resort had opened for the season last week, but it would be closed for the remainder of Monday and on Tuesday so that staff can monitor the ice.